Second Glance
by Baby Cougar
Summary: It follows the lives of two people, a young Marine veteran social studies teacher, Kashii Namame, and a bitter teenager in her second year of highschool, Shizuka Adachi. It will follow through their first meeting together at Marx Senior Academy through all of the hardships they will face together. Completely AU, completely OC.
1. Dedication

_I dedicate this to Amanda, Lucas, and Tom,_

_three dear friends who helped me create and_

_supported me throughout the story._


	2. Before You Read

Our story begins, not in some grandiose fantasy land of fairy tale or scene of battle, but in the city of bricks, also known as the Gateway City; Newark, New Jersey. It follows the lives of two people, a young Marine veteran social studies teacher, Kashii Namame, and a bitter teenager in her second year of highschool, Shizuka Adachi. It will follow through their first meeting together at Marx Senior Academy through all of the hardships they will face together.

_Second Glance_ is a highschool teacher/student romance story. It is the first time I've written something complex and dedicated, please bear with me! This is the second time I've planned out writing a teacher/student romance fiction, however this is the first time it's come into fruition, but set in a realistic world. While most of the cast is from Japanese descent, the story is set in an American city. They live in a fictional section of Newark I refer to as "The Bricks" which is home to a large population of Asians.

My writing experience comes from a form of forum roleplay in a Naruto Shippuuden fandom, meaning anime-based, done by writing collaborative mini-stories with other players and their characters. This is why many characters have Japanese names. The named characters, not including those of Kashii's homeroom class, are all characters that have existed long prior to the premise of this story. Some belong to me, and some belong to friends who have supported me while I wrote this story. I brought them all together into a modern-era story set in America. It's surprising how much you forget about the American school systems when you've been reading Japanese manga since you graduated haha.

This story was inspired by an image I found searching google of a female student pulling a male student's tie to bring him lower to kiss. She was sitting at a desk and he was standing over it. It made me think of the relationship my character Kashii had with his student, Shi, whom belongs to a dear friend, and I was inspired to write _Second Glance_. I didn't realize at first what a big project it would become for me, but I wanted to take a stab at really writing something seriously, putting a lot of effort behind it.

And with this, please enjoy reading _Second Glance_!


	3. Chapter 1

It really seemed like he had no idea what he was doing. Kashii wasn't generally scatterbrained, but he also wasn't usually this nervous. Finally getting the knot right, Kashii tightened the tie, reaching for the grey jacket and slipping it around his shoulders. He stared back at his reflection in the mirror, fingers tangled in the knot of the necktie, gold eyes scrutinizing himself on a whole. At first glance, it seemed he was perfectly suited for the role of teacher.

A "teacher," huh. He'd only decided to become a teacher on a whim, over a stupid argument he'd had with another teacher, so many years ago. If that man could see Kashii now… He grinned at his reflection, the copy giving a fanged smile in return. It wouldn't be so bad. A roomful of teenagers was hardly a thing of terror. _He_ was scarier than anyone in a junior class of kids would be.

Didn't stop his nerves from being wracked all to hell. Kashii hated screwing up his jobs. This was a brand new long-term job with so many anomalies, who knows what could happen, just on a day-to-day basis. He could _look_ like a teacher, but could he _act_ like one? He sat at the edge of his bed, checking his case for the papers he needed to have. Handouts he'd made, class roster, course material. Lots of things he'd need to make copies of when he got to school. So much to think about. Slinging the case over his shoulder, he left, snagging his keys off the dining table.

"Watch the house for me, Cat."

The Savannah mewed in response, tawny eyes watching her master leave into the dark morning. When the door closed behind him, she stretched, jaws opening in a wide, toothy yawn. Ear turning towards a squeak from the kitchen, she trotted off to examine the _rodent_, if he could be called that, that lived on the shelf above her food dishes. They regarded each other carefully. '_I give him a week,'_ the feline's gaze seemed to say. '_A half a day, at most,'_ squeaked the mole rat's implied response.

It was, perhaps, a fifteen minute walk to the Academy grounds, using the shortcut he'd discovered by cutting through the park. Most people avoided Stanley Park for the fact it was dangerous during the dark hours, but then again, Kashii was not "most people." Petty thieves or punks were hardly a cause for concern. It was the school coming into sight that made him nervous, really. He took a deep breath, and headed onto school grounds.

"There's someone here."

"Thank you, Nao. Let him in."

The snowy-headed boy nodded, opening the door and allowing a small bluenette to enter. He dipped his head in greeting to the woman. Hotaru Aburame, headmistress of Marx Academy.

"Headmistress Hotaru."

Crimson eyes scrutinized the male that entered her domain. He wasn't as unpleasant as many of the men that entered her doors, at least.

"Have a seat, Namame-san."

Kashii did as asked, and awaited instruction.

"I trust you remember what has been discussed from your previous meeting with me?" A nod. "Very good." Hotoru picked up a paper, glancing over it for a moment and turning it for him to see. "This is a list of the teachers in your department. It would be wise to get to know them. Shimizu-san should be here soon to guide you." She withdrew a map of the building as well as a ring with two keys on it. "You'd do well to study this as well. It would look bad if one of our own teachers were lost in the halls."

"Yes, ma'am."

Hotaru sensed she'd be having troubles with this one in the future. "I've heard things about you, Kashii Namame. I will trust you will do _nothing_ to stain my school's reputation?" There was something frightening about the polite smile the woman gave him.

"I wouldn't dare."

"Good to hear, Namame-san, or should I say 'Sensei,'? Welcome to Marx Senior Academy."

"Thank you," he said with a nod, rising to leave.

"One more thing; be careful this semester. The teachers like to haze new arrivals. We're still trying to scrub the blood of the last new teacher from the tiles." She smiled at him again, head tilted slightly. "Have a nice day."

Kashii left the room a bit skittishly. The hazing he'd received at bootcamp probably far overshadowed what he'd meet here. The headmistress was no doubt joking about the blood. Hopefully. He stroked his throat absently, pushing those nasty memories out of mind. Exiting the main office, he found a man waiting for him. Wavy black hair, wearing a circumscribed triangular pendant… Makoto Shimizu. History teacher.

"Shimizu?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you. This way… Kashii, was it?"

"Aye," he replied, gold eyes sweeping the halls as they walked. His old high school couldn't compare with this one. He smirked idly to himself, recalling that crabby old teacher from West Side High. He ought to take a visit back there some time. A sort of 'Look what I did' reunion.

"You seem distracted, Kashii. Is something on your mind?"

The smaller male shook his head. "Nah. Just a bit nervous. Never taught anything but my cat before now."

Makoto seemed amused by this information. "Think of it as teaching a room full of cats, then."

Kashii frowned at the thought. "I don't even _like_ cats… teaching a room full of 'em may not prove to be promising."

Makoto raised a brow. "You'll be fine. They only bite the first few weeks," he laughed.

Such a… _charming_ fellow. "Good to hear."

"You saw some of the big rooms on the way up here, right? The first floor mainly holds the extracurricular courses. Cooking, music, P.E., etc. The cafeteria and library is there as well. Teachers can eat free." Oh, that sounded nice. "Second floor here holds the academics. There are four main wings: Sciences, Languages, Mathematics, and English. Our classes are in the English department."

Kashii glanced up at his guide. "Last I checked, neither social studies nor history were English subjects."

The older man shrugged. "Word-of-mouth generalizations, really. There are different classes scattered in between but each title refers to the main cluster of subjects in that area."

"Makes sense, then."

They came to a stop at an empty classroom. Kashii peered through the windows inside. The walls were bare. Nothing particularly exceptional.

"This is your classroom." Makoto pointed down the hall. "Two rooms down on the other side is my room. Feel free to come if you need something."

Kashii nodded, waving him off with a lazy salute. "Will do."

Withdrawing the keys he'd been provided, Kashii entered the classroom, flicking on the lights to inspect his new domain. There was nothing particularly exceptional about the room. Thirty small desks, thirty matching chairs. A supply closet in the back, a storage closet beside it. A couple of empty bookshelves, a counter-ledge on the side wall. A podium in front, a large blackboard behind it, and a nice big box of chalk. Nothing much, but it was as if Kashii had just gotten his own personal clubhouse.

He wandered through between the chairs, taking a glance at the clock above the board. Quarter after seven. School didn't open until eight, and homeroom started at eight-thirty. He tapped the tops of the desks, wandering to the back of the room. The storage cabinet was empty as he'd expected; he'd need to fill that with his own supplies over time. The supply locker smelled of cleaner; it at least had some cleaning supplies for the room.

Turning back to the board, Kashii took a seat in one of the desks. High school felt so long ago, and those were days best not remembered. He'd been such a shitty student; not because he wasn't smart, he'd always had good grades when he actually showed up to do the work, it was that he didn't like rules. He still doesn't, really, but at least he's better about _following_ them. His gaze moved up to the rolls over the board. A roll down map, and overhead there was a projector screen. Goodie. Reaching for those would be a fun experience during class. Thank god he wouldn't need those today; he'd pick up some nylon rope on his way home to tie to the handles tomorrow.

Getting up, he walked over to his own desk, perching on the surface rather than sitting in the chair. He dug through his case, withdrawing the papers he needed. Some welcome guides he'd made for the course and for the overall school rules, class roster, gradebook, and blank seating chart. He looked over the roster, studying names as well as the photos that were included. Twenty-seven students, three desks would be left over. Whelp, first things first. Make a seating chart, then make copies of these handouts. It would keep himself busy, and keep away those first day jitters. He could only hope.

Ugh. Shi _hated_ the reek of alcohol. It didn't matter what time of day it was, as long as that man was home, it smelled of alcohol. She rubbed her eyes, wrinkling her nose at the scent, and swung her legs out of bed. First day of school. She couldn't be more overjoyed. No, _really_. With a sigh, she pulled away the warm blankets and stepped into the nippy morning. At least school meant she could get breakfast at the cafeteria. Scholarships students had the privileges of free meals. Probably because the school knew those students were too dirt-poor to actually afford paying for the meals.

Ensuring that man wasn't in the way between her room and the bathroom, Shi walked softly between the rooms, closing the door quietly behind her. Cranking on the water nozzle, she stepped in after a few minutes of fussing, the hot water easing away the chill. At least the water was warm. Bastard hardly ever payed the bills; the days had been unusually chilly this time of year.

The girl ran her fingers through her hair under the spray, a long, midnight shade of navy. Violet eyes tried to avoid looking at the grimy tile of the shower walls; at least there _was_ a shower for her to bathe in. Slender fingers felt along the contours of her body. She could feel her ribs, thin as ever, spindly arms and legs. Years of eating improperly showed its mark on Shizuka Adachi's frame, like the scars that decorated her skin from the times she'd spent on the street. Shi could smell the alcohol through the stale scent of the soap. Really, she should be _grateful_ she had a place to call 'home.' Frankly, she'd rather go back to the street some nights.

Shi ran a brush through her hair when she finished towel-drying, watching her reflection. Nothing seemingly remarkable, in her opinion. She wasn't pretty, at least, she didn't think she was. Just a ratty girl that people liked to have their way with. With a sigh, she wrapped herself in a towel, opening the door. A solid, resounding snore rang through the house. A far better sound than his voice, at least. She moved back to her room quickly, digging through her belongings to find the uniform. Shi wasn't particularly fond of skirts, but the uniform did a good job of hiding her figure.

She brushed the pleats flat once it was on, buttoning the jacket closed. Uniforms were ridiculous. Public schools knew what they were doing, allowing casual dress daily. Private schools enjoyed making you feel stiff and uncomfortable. She removed the brass wolf pin from her lapel, replacing it with the silver pin that marked her as being in Junior year. At first glance, she at least _looked_ like a dutiful student.

Shi collected her belongings into her bag. Rather than using the bag that was issued, she used her ratty old backpack from long ago, filled with everything she considered valuable. There wasn't a chance she'd lose her things; they needed to stay with her _at all times_. She sighed again as she put her notebook into the bag. Her homeroom teacher had to leave at the end of the year last year for maternity purposes, and chose not to come back. A fresh-off-the-press teacher was taking her place. Shi did _not_ like being a guinea pig. Why couldn't they test him out on some _other_ class? It took her long enough to learn to tolerate the old teacher, and she'd be seeing this nobody man three times a day. Finally satisfied with herself, Shi headed out of the apartment, the reek of alcohol replaced with the stale scent of burned nicotine. Cigarettes didn't smell much better.

"Oh, is it that time of year already? That skirt looks adorable on you, as always."

Oh, as if her morning could _get_ any better. "Fuck off, dickhead."

"Sharp-tongued as ever."

"People aren't generally known to speak kindly to weasels."

Shi slapped his hand away when he reached towards her, moving by him quickly to go down the enclosed stairwell. Shinji Aku, residential pervert who's been after her for years. Likes to make himself unavoidable at best. One of these days, Shi would castrate him. She'd make sure of it. One day, surely.

The girl was thankful, at least, the school was nearby. That was one of the only perks that came with living with her current foster fuckface. She clutched the jackknife she had placed in her jacket pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice should someone decide it was a good idea to ambush her. _Again._ Naturally, the peace was not meant to last, for exactly that happened.

"Look what the cat dragged in."

Shi's glare raised to meet the hazel-green eyes of a brick shit house that always seemed to have a bone to pick with her, Devon Miller. '_What does __**he**_ _want __**now**__...'_ Couldn't even make it through the school gate without things starting. Usual. But seriously, it was the _first day_ of school. Did this boy make a point of waiting for her just for this?

"Leave me alone, Shithead."

"That's no way to speak to your master."

"I am not a _pet_, and you are not my _master_."

She pushed to move passed him, but he grabbed her by the back of her collar.

"I ain't done talking to you."

"Well _I_ am."

Her small fist lashed out as she twisted, landing a strong blow right into his elbow. Devon automatically let go, jolts of electricity going through his arm. She didn't get a chance to flee, however, as the larger boy knocked her to the ground. He hovered over her, clearly enraged.

"You-"

She spat in his face.

"Fuck off."

"_Bitch!"_

The sound of a fist colliding with flesh could be heard across the schoolyard. A pair of scarlet eyes watched the progression from a window above. He pointed out, looking back to his "mother."

"They're at it again, mistress."

Hotaru didn't even look up.

"Adachi and Miller again?"

"Yes. Should I stop them?"

"If you could."

She flipped a paper, writing down more notes.

Nao bowed. "As you wish."

Devon had Shi by the hair, and Shi was pressed over him, teeth lodged into his forearm and drawing blood. Regardless of how hard he pulled, if he got her head away it would come with the chunk of flesh between her teeth. Neither teen noticed a petite male walking toward them. With a swift kick, the flat of his shoe contacted the back of Shi's head, and there was a resounding _crack_ as her skull collided with Devon's. He crouched by their heads as they recovered from the light show.

"Headmistress Hotaru asks that you do not cause a scene right at the school gates."

Devon knew better to swing at this boy, despite his personal opinions. The son of the headmistress was a no kill zone. Touching the child would result in a switch death, he was _positive_ of it. He'd have enough personal experiences with the Aburame to easily come to that conclusion. He shoved the girl off of him as the school bell rang.

"We'll continue this another time, rat."

Shi sat up, glaring at the snowy-haired boy who'd interefered. She shared no such sentiments as Devon did, and rose, taking a swing at Aburame. Despite his size, Nao caught her wrist easily, pulled her forward, then used a leg to sweep her off her feet, knocking her flat on her back again. She coughed, wind knocked out, and glowered at him.

"It would be advisable for you to go to class now."

Kashii sat at the top of his desk, one shoe up on the edge, watching as his students filed in, ticking off their names in his head, glancing at the roster in his hand as he did so, ensuring he knew at least _some_ of the faces. There was a lot of chatter, and a lot of glances his way. He tugged idly at the sleeve of the grey suit jacket, nodding his head in recognition to those who looked at him. Introductions could wait until all students were present. Or at least most of them, anyway. He switched out the roster for an attendance sheet when the bell rang.

Kashii clapped his hands to bring attention to himself. The students quieted for the first time, looking up from the desks they had chosen.

"Good morning!" he said, a warm smile on his face. "Everyone come to the front. I'll seat you and take attendance."

There was an aura of annoyance. A lot of students didn't like assigned seating. Well, they could sit wherever the fuck they liked next semester. This semester was about him learning everyones names and faces. He scribbled on the top of the page to ensure his pen was writing, and started calling off names.

"Adachi?"

Silence. He glanced up at the mass of students cluttered at the front of the class.

"Adaachii?"

Someone spoke up.

"She's not here."

"I'd be surprised if she _actually_ showed up…" said someone else.

"Probably fighting again," came another voice.

Kashii raised a brow and said nothing, scratching an 'X' next to her name.

"Greberak?"

"Here! Call me Katie~"

A spunky girl appeared to the front of the mob. He looked her up and down momentarily, then pointed to the end of the row on the right.

"Second to last seat, Katie."

"Okay!"

She moved to her assigned seat, and he put a checkmark by her name.

"Hibari?"

"Which one?" came two simultaneous voices.

Kashii looked up to see the two boys who looked irritated with each other. They looked absolutely nothing like each other. Had he been wrong in guessing they were brothers? Cousins, maybe? At least he knew they were both there, and he checked both names, pointing to Katie.

"Daniel in front of Katie, Kyoya in front of him."

This continued in a zigzag pattern until there were only three empty seats in the last column of desks, at the front.

"Does anyone know where Adachi and Miller are?"

As if on cue, a beefy boy with sandy hair and a bruised forehead hunkered into the room without even so much as a 'sorry for being late' and plopped himself down into the closest desk.

"Devon Miller?"

"The hell do you want, Teach?"

The boy's hazel eyes sized up his new teacher, and a smirk crossed his features. This little chickenshit was the new teacher? This would be an easy semester. He leaned back in his chair. Kashii pointed to the empty seat near the middle of the room with his pen.

"Your seat is there, Miller."

"I'm fine right here."

Kashii moved up to where the boy sat, the clipboard tapping against the desk as he put his hands down, and he repeated himself.

"Your seat is _there._"

Already with the troublesome students. Frankly it didn't matter so much, the boy was recognizable from a mile away. Seemed to have authority problems, and Kashii smiled at that thought. Reminded him of himself at that age. But _Kashii_ was the authority now. Devon's hand fisted itself into the collar of Kashii's shirt at the sheer _insolence_, pulling him forward.

"I don't need some chickenshit teacher telling me what to do. Get your ass to the front and do what you're paid to do."

There were hushed whispers, many aimed at Kashii's personal safety. Kashii allowed himself to be pulled, smile never wavering.

"Don't make me ask again, Miller."

Already rubbed the wrong way, Devon stood, desk shoved away, and pulled his arm back to lay a heavy blow right between Kashii's golden eyes. His arm was deflected before it had a chance to connect, and Kashii twisted it hard, turning the boy around. He kicked the back of Devon's legs, put him on his knees facing backward, and hiked the twisted arm upward.

"_The fuck?!"_came the startled yelp.

"Your 'chickenshit teacher' asks you to go to your seat, Devon."

The smile never left when he let go of the arm, and the larger male stood and backed off, muttering obscenities and retreating to his proper seat. Kashii moved back to the front, scratching off the 'X' and replacing with a checkmark. He glanced around at the sea of faces; most of the eyes were on him, many amused and impressed at Devon being put into his place.

"Adachi is the only one we're missing then?"

A smug look on Devon's face was the only answer in the room.

"Alright then let's-"

Kashii paused, seeing a small girl enter the room, clearly disheveled, with the same mark on her forehead as Miller, hidden under her bangs.

"Adachi?"

"Present."

She took residence in the corner seat at the back. Kashii didn't say anything; it _was_ her seat. He scratched the 'X' off and checked her name too. Everyone was here, and he'd let the tardiness slide for today. Tossing the clipboard onto the desk he moved behind the podium. and grabbed a stick of chalk, turning to write his name on the board, first in English, then in Japanese. Many of the people in this area were of Japanese and Asian descent; at least half of the students can read it.

"My name is Kashii Namame."

A girl named Hanabi Kashi glowered up at her new sensei. How _dare_ he share her name? Kashii tapped the board.

"You can call me Mr. Namame or Namame-sensei." He tapped to the Japanese, explaining what his name translated to. Thank _you_ mother for the play on names. "Or if you read like this, you can call me 'Mr. Charming'."

A broad grin at his students, who looked at him skeptically. Even with the first-day jitters, he still held his head high and confidently.

"Welcome, my students, to class 2-B."


	4. Chapter 2

_ 'He's an idiot...'_

That was Shi's first impression of her new teacher. His cheery voice was irritating, hell, everything about him was irritating. And she'd need to look at his face most of the day? Ugh. She put her elbow on the desk, head in hand and looked out the window. Being at school was the lesser of two evils, she supposed. She could occupy her time with studying, and it gave her one real reason for Russell to leave her alone.

Kashii watched the students chatter for a moment, putting voices to the faces, faces to the names. He hadn't recognized all of them yet, but he'd learn. It was just a matter of time. He turned, going to write some information up on the board to copy down. Important upcoming dates, general rules and guidelines, other essential tidbits of information. He could hear snickering with his back turned to them. He could deal with the snickering, he'd gotten that much plenty of times before. After all, it was easy to underestimate him, just as the Miller boy had done.

"He looks so young, doesn't he?"

Male voice. Kashii had gotten that a lot, as well. The military almost didn't take him because he looked so much younger than eighteen. Even now, he could pass as a student their age if he donned the uniform.

"I don't know… He's kind of cute."

Female voice. "Cute." That was a term he'd also heard a lot, from a lot of varying parties. While many times the cuteness was quite a factor he played up…

"Tch, he looks like a girl."

… It often didn't work quite in his favor. Male voice this time. He sighed at the board, scratching out a grid that marked the week's schedule. Being viewed as a small, feminine guy didn't work in his favor most of the time. _Most_ of the time.

"I wonder if he's my type?"

Ah, female this time. Already it had begun. The frown turned into a smirk. The novel idea of having his own fan club among the girls of the class would be a fun goal to achieve. A few smiles, kind words, they'd be in the palm of his hand. His fingers curled around the chalk, sketching in the last of the details for Friday. Wednesday would be the first day of real courses; today and Tuesday would be spent getting the students acquainted with the lay of the land, and it would give Kashii a chance to do so as well.

"Why would they let a _midget_ teach a class of second years?"

The chalk screeched on the board as Kashii stopped writing abruptly. Shi watched in amusement, having turned her head to the sound. Aw, did the poor little guy have a complex about his height? The young teacher growled, lowering the chalk to the tray and breaking off a piece about an inch long. The voice had been male. Aoi Watanabi. Taking a moment to recover the scowl into a warm smile, he whipped around, the piece of chalk whistling through the air and and colliding with the boy's head. Kashii could shrug off a lot of comments. Quips about his height? _Not at all._ The chalk crumbled slightly on impact, recoiling and bouncing off the desk in front of him, where it rolled and fell onto the floor.

_"Ow!"_

Aoi gripped his head, staring at the chalk that hit the floor, then back to Kashii, who wore a warm, friendly smile on his face, pulling out of his throw. The chittering had become silent. Dead silent. All of the students' eyes were on Aoi, and then they turned to Kashii when he spoke, moving to the podium.

"Watanabe… I'd appreciate if you would keep your sardonic remarks to yourself."

Kashii leaned on the podium, gold eyes piercing into the boy's own blue ones.

"I may not have many talents," he commented lazily, "But one thing I've always been praised on is my aim. If you would like to see how many times my chalk can hit your temple," raising his arm to rest his head on his hand, he continued, voice dripping with honey, "Then be my guest."

Kashii pointed the remainder of the chalk towards the boy, one eye closed as if he were taking aim. Aoi tensed, half-expecting to be hit again.

"Ooor…. you can shut up and pay attention," he said, turning his back on the class and returning to the board. "Now where was I…" he muttered.

Violet eyes watched the display with mild interest. High-strung newbie teacher with a height complex and good aim. Well, at least he would provide _some_ entertainment, if nothing else. She fingered a pink eraser in her desk, contemplating hitting him. His back was to the students, and this class knew their teeth would be knocked in if they said it was her…

_Brrrrnnnnggg._

Kashii glanced up at the clock at the sound of the bell. It marked the end of homeroom. He could hear the shuffling of doors and students begin in the halls, many of his own students rising. Conveniently, his homeroom class also happened to be his first period Social Studies class. Extra time to get used to his students. Setting down the chalk, he worked to erase the board and prepare for his first proper course.

Shi stood at the sound of the bell, tucking hair behind her ear and slinging her bag across her shoulder. She debated leaving now and heading up to the roof to sit out the rest of the day, but she should at least _try_ on the first day of school. She left the room to walk around a while before the next bell rang. The halls were crowded, as expected, with students changing classes. The classes were decided by some sort of roulette it seemed. Homeroom teachers held students for the three years they attended, and the students kept to the same group throughout the academic portion of the day. Was a stroke of luck for her teacher that his first class was also homeroom. She weaved through the crowd, and not even a minute passed before a boy ran headlong into her.

"Sorry!"

"Watch where you're going."

She looked up at the dark eyes of her attacker. He looked paranoid over some trivial matter or another no doubt. It was too early to be running around in the busy hall that way. The wolf pinned to his lapel suggested he was a senior.

"Oi, _Heiki_!"

The boy cursed and was off again, crimson hair disappearing into the crowd. She considered following him. Watching someone getting pummelled would add a nice flavor to her morning, especially when it wasn't _her_ in the fight. She sighed when the halls began to thin out. Time to go back, another hour of the same room. Maybe she could just sleep.

Kotone tapped her mechanical pencil against the desk, looking over the contents of the handout she'd received, absently coloring in the spaces inside the letters. She only half-listened to what the teacher said, writing her name in curly letters on the margins of the page, quietly mouthing the syllables.

"Koh…toh…nay… Koizumi…"

She hummed, scribbling in more letters. The sound of something hitting the floor to her left caught her attention, and she caught the pencil that was rolling across the floor. Studying it for a moment, she poked the sleeping girl who'd dropped it with the eraser.

"Shiiizuuu. Hey. Wake up!"

Shi opened her eyes to see a pair of bright aquamarine ones staring at her, and attempted to set the girl's soul on fire with a glare alone. Kotone's voice _alone_ grated on her nerves. She half considered letting Kotone keep the damn pencil; who knew if stupidity was contagious. But in the end, she needed to write, so she snatched it back without a word. Kotone pouted.

"Geez, you should at least say 'thanks'!"

Shi's gaze narrowed further.

_"Thanks."_

That should get the little wench off her back for now. When she turned forward, a sharp pain hit her bruised forehead as a shard of chalk bounced onto her desk, and she glared daggers at the teacher who was pulling out of his throw.

"Adachi," Kashii fished for the other girl's name. "Koizumi. Pay attention."

Kotone giggled; _she_ didn't get hit with the chalk, at lea—

"Ow!"

A second piece of chalk collided with her temple, leaving a sting. She clutched her abused head and pouted back at her teacher.

"Senseeeei what was that for?"

Kashii tossed the remaining piece of chalk in his hand, looking at the girls with a disapproving look.

"Do you girls mind if we continue class?"

"Yes Sensei… Kotone didn't mean it."

One of those "third person" girls, eh? He tossed the chalk in his hand one more time, catching it in a firm grip. Chalk was messier than he imagined, wasn't it? It was unfair that the science classes got whiteboards. Not messy at all. He turned and tapped the chalk on the board, and there was a long pause. Kashii completely forgot what he had been talking about. He rubbed the back of his head. Tch… Oh well, he'd covered what he needed to. He set the chalk down on the tray and turned back to the class, clapping his hands with a cloud of white dust.

"That's all for today. You guys can have free time until the bell rings."

There was a cheer, and Kashii sat at his desk. The jitters from the morning had all but vanished. Standing in front of a room of children was not as nerve-wracking as he'd expected. But he'd had more frightening experiences. He may look like a Pomeranian, but the runt of the litter was still a wolf. He smirked at the thought, shuffling through his papers and scratching down notes on how to better cover the class material for the rest of the classes.

Free time meant nothing more than people talking heedlessly, who was in which class, which boy was the talk of the town, which _girl_ was the talk of the town. Same old bullshit at the beginning of every year. Gathering her belongings, Shi stood, leaving the class for a second time, this time with no intentions on returning. She had time to kill before the next class started. Wordlessly, the teacher watched her leave. Kashii had a feeling this girl would prove troublesome in the future. Little did he know.

Shi tucked her hair behind her ear after a sudden gust blew it around. Students weren't generally supposed to be on the roof, and that was exactly why she liked being there. It was peaceful and the high view wasn't awful. But then, the sight from a school in the middle of the city wasn't exactly something to brag about. She sighed, leaning back and looking up at the sky. It was cloudy and grey; it looked like there might be rain today. Joy.

When the trill of every bell in the building going off met her ears, she gathered her belongings and headed down the ladder that led to the door. It was warmer in the building than it was up there in the breeze, but at the same time, the breeze felt nice on her skin. Pausing a moment to get her last breath of fresh air, Shi entered the building, headed off to History with Makoto-sensei.

Makoto had always been an odd one; many of the students liked to comment that the man seemed to have been born in the wrong era, the type to lay his jacket in a puddle for a lady to walk over. Overly polite, even pulled the chair out for the female students if he happened to be near her desk. It was rumored once, and only once, that a student had tripped the teacher's trigger. No one knows exactly what happened, but the boy's personality had permanently changed entirely, and he was unable to say what exactly happened. Despite this, just looking at him never gave that sort of feel. He was too gentlemanly for that. So it's merely speculated that it's a false rumor. Although, no one has _ever_ seen the teacher angry, except for that _one_ boy...

Yagami had been a boisterous individual. Loud to the point of obnoxious, but not a bad person. He had been fun, but often forgetful and sometimes unintentionally rude. When he came back from detention with Makoto-sensei, he was described at best as meek. He graduated last year, and no one has heard from him since. Perhaps the truth will never be known. The smile the teacher wore would never betray it. His younger sister in class 2-A never mentioned much about it, just that he'd left state for college. Her best friend, Kinsei, would always poke and prod the girl, brimming with curiosity of what had happened, but never got anything out of her.

Kin herself was a work of art, though. She was taller than a lot of other girls her age. If she'd been more coordinated, Kin would have tried out for basketball like her friends. Instead, she just cheered for the team. But although she was tall, she was nothing compared to her older brother. The Home Economics teacher, Gin-sensei, was the tallest person most people in the school had ever seen, and there even rumors he had a scary beast living in his home.

"I heard the Headmistress mistook him as a girl."

"Well I heard he was _gay_."

Kashii tapped his nails on the board, trying not to break more chalk. The gay comment was a female voice, nothing he could torment the accuser with. With a sigh, he finished altering the lesson plans. Each class was different in their own right, he needed to get a feel for each one. Not to mention learning faces and names. His homeroom would be easy; he saw those faces three times a day. But six classes with nearly thirty students each, he took a moment to count on his fingers. That was between 160 and 180 students he'd need to not only remember names to but also place those names to the right faces. Should be doable within the next couple weeks; he'd need to think of activities that would help learn names. Make it worth a grade too, to ensure the quiet ones participate.

Kashii was glad when the time passed and the bell rang. Two more classes passed before the lunch bell rang, and he put the chalk down, a breath of relief. He'd made it through half of the day already. Time for a break. Lunch time was thirty minutes; he could take time to mingle with the other teachers in the lounge before heading off for food. That was, of course, assuming he knew where the teacher's lounge was. Which he didn't. When he left the classroom, he spotted a familiar face, and raised a hand in greeting.

"Oi, Makoto!"

The history teacher looked around a bit to see who addressed him in the hall, before turning back to see the new guy waving at him. He gave a little wave back.

"How's your day been so far? As hard as you thought?"

"Truthfully, I'm wondering if I'll get through the rest of it without strangling someone. They make me want to stand on a box or something just to shut them up. And if they call me 'gay' _one more time_..."

Makoto laughed, walking with him down the tiled hall.

"You're the one who signed up for this. High schoolers are cruel. You're small even by Asian standards; it's no different than painting a red target on your back and expecting to not be shot. You just need to show them that you're the one with the gun."

Kashii's eyes narrowed at the older man's words. But there was absolutely nothing said that wasn't true.

"I doubt Aburame would be pleased if I showed up with an M40. 'Show and tell' would likely not fly."

"Showed up with a _what_?"

"A gun."

The school was big. Much larger than the high school he had gone to. The large white-speckled tile was a lot nicer than the brown floors he'd been accustomed to. Smooth cream-colored walls instead of white-painted cinder blocks. He liked how there were large windows that lined the outer wall of the hall, rather than rows of lockers. The lockers were in their own wings at either side of the building instead. There were also two floors; the first floor catered to elective courses, such as music and arts. The gymnasium and cafeteria were located there as well. The second floor had Academics; average classrooms for English, Math, and the like. The Headmistress's office was on this floor as well. Frankly, it was no wonder Kashii was getting lost.

They continued walking, chatting about personal experiences with the classes of the morning. In Makoto's third period class, one girl had tripped on someone's bag and gone face first into the edge of a desk. It was a bit cruel to laugh about, but a word Makoto liked to use was schadenfreude. It was a pleasant addition to Kashii's vocabulary; taking pleasure in another's pain. The nurse's office was on the way to the lounge, and Makoto parted with Kashii to check on the student.

Nosing around to find the right door, Kashii found the lounge, and pushed inside the door. It was a small room, teal carpet, blue walls. A handful of teachers were inside, some eating lunch, some simply drinking coffee and chatting. Before he could advance, a tall man blocked the path, and he looked up into odd-colored eyes.

"Get out of the way, _shorty_."

Kashii's gaze narrowed. Boom. Last straw. He grabbed a fistful of the taller man's shirt, yanked him forward, and buried his fist deep into his gut. A startled cough came out, and Kashii stepped back as he fell to the floor. How's that for showing who had the gun?

"'Shorty' _that_," he said, stepping over him and heading towards the coffee. "Dick."

There was a cheer off to the side, and gold eyes rose to meet a pair of lavender ones. Refreshing to know there were women on the staff, and she grinned at him.

"Woo new kid! I like 'im already."

Kashii shrugged.

"He probably had it coming anyway."

Makoto stood in the doorway, blinking at the procession, then laughed. The man on the floor coughed and growled, shakily getting to his feet.

"You shouldn't have made an enemy out of Jukai, Kashii."

Kashii looked on at the snowy-haired man as he got up. Jukai, eh? More face-to-names to remember. Jukai Sukiyaki, PE teacher, if he recalled correctly. Taking a sip of the hot coffee, he watched with bored eyes when he was approached, the odd eyes looming over him. Impressive that he got back up so quickly; most people take longer to regain their breath. The cup in his hand spilled as he was pulled up on his toes, not highly surprised. There were not many people who took that kind of thing well.

"You little _fuck_. Don't you _ever_. Hit me. Again."

"Should we just get to the part where I'm supposed to be scared of you?"'

Kashii pulled from Jukai's grip, sauntering over to the small round table where the woman who'd called him "new kid" was sitting. Taking a seat himself, he watched as Jukai left.

"I feel as if that may come to bit me in the ass later."

"You got guts, kid."

Kashii turned his gaze to the woman, slightly annoyed. Again with the "kid" comments.

"He reminds me of… someone I used to know. Sukiyaki's pretty respectable, all things considering." He took a sip of the coffee. "Most people would make a scene after something like that."

The person Kashii once knew certainly would have. The male looked over the woman beside him. Lavender eyes, long, wispy white hair. Slender, with a mischievous grin on her face. He put a hand out in greeting.

"Kashii Namame, the new social studies teacher."

"Amaya Hozuki, resident mad scientist."

"Satooooshi! Your food will get cold!"

Satoshi looked up at the girl who plucked the notebook from his hands. Did she not see he was clearly studying? The first day was crucial, he needed to be ready for what lay ahead this year. Though, he listened, turning his head to the slop this school called "lunch." It appeared to be beef and noodles; he hadn't really paid attention when he got it. Well, it wouldn't be all bad.

"Miyuki, sit down. You're fluttering like a moth."

The girl groaned, tugging at one of her salmon-colored pigtails. All work and no play! This boy needed to loosen up, he didn't even play during the summer. Still, she laid the notebook back on the table, seating next to him to eat as well. She watched her friend eat, nibbling on a noodle. They'd been friends ever since they were kids. Satoshi had always been cold to people, yet he didn't mind it when Miyuki was around him. She peeked around, passed the one slate-grey eye, to catch a glimpse of the other eye. He always kept it hidden behind his uneven black hair, but she liked his red eye. It reminded her of poppies, and the poppy was her favorite flower. Seeing her craning out of the corner of his eye, Satoshi gave his head a shake, shifting the long bangs over his eye so she couldn't see.

Across the room sat a girl sketching together with a boy. _'Jin,'_ the paper said, _'How do you think math next period will be?'_ Jin munched on an apple, reading the sentence scrawled on the paper. He brushed seafoam hair out of crimson eyes, then looked up to the girl.

"Seiya, I'm pretty sure it will be harder than last year."

The expression on the girl's face could be best described as a grimace. The pair were horrible at math. With a sigh, her bright green eyes turned back to the page. Rubbing her fingers through her sandy-blonde hair, she scratched her pen on the pad again. _'We barely passed last year. We're screwed, aren't we?' _Jin nodded sagely to his friend.

"We most certainly are."

The sound of a fist hitting the chalkboard could be heard even in the class on the other side of the wall.

"_YES_. I _know_ I'm short. _NO_. I'm _not_ gay. _YES_. I really _am_ the teacher. _NO_. I am _not_ a girl."

Kashii grit his teeth. He didn't even _sound_ like a girl when he talked. The first-day students had grated his nerves raw. Makoto was right, he _did _have a target painted on himself. But he'd really show these kids who had the gun, in time. The runt of the litter was still a wolf, after all.

"Any questions? No? Good."

He didn't even give the students so much as time to raise their hands. One boy started to say something, but the cold yellow glare Kashii shot him made his voice catch in his throat. The whispering and comments and questions, the same ones, had been asked throughout the day. May as well get that out of the way so he could start class. He retrieved the clipboard, flipping to the sixth period course, and directed the students to their seats one by one. This had to of been the _longest_ day he'd had in months.

It had gotten mundane by now; and he went over nearly the same material as every other class. He had two second year classes, two first year classes, and two third year classes. The material was different but the layout was the same. The only thing that would even keep him organized was that at least he found his subject _interesting_. When the class finally ended and end-of-the-day homeroom cycled in, it felt like a godsend. He'd already been through the annoying shit in the morning. It was basically a discussion of how the year would be, about how the day went, and Kashii issued free time for the remaining 20 minutes, retreating to his chair and propping his feet on the corner of the desk.

The teacher watched his students idly as they interacted with each other. Watching them interact could give him a grasp of who was friends with who, who wanted nothing to do with the others, and who wanted everything to do with the other. He watched the Miller boy especially, who rocked back in his chair for a good amount of time before rising, sauntering over to the small Adachi girl in the corner. Pulling his feet off the corner, Kashii leaned his elbows on top of the desk, watching the pair intently. From this morning, he had an idea that those two had something to do with each other, and it didn't appear to be friendly relations.

"Is the wounded beast coming back for revenge?"

Devon sneered at Shi's comment.

"Like I'd _need_ revenge against a scrawny rat like you."

Shi smirked at him.

"Should I ask pipsqueak to put you in your place _again_?"

Devon growled, looking at the aforementioned 'pipsqueak,' meeting eye contact with him. Slightly unnerved that the teacher had his eyes directly on him, Devon looked back to the girl instead. Recalling how easily he'd been put on his knees this morning, he resigned. There were plenty of other places he could meet her.

_ "Lucky."_

Violet eyes followed him as he retrieved his belongings and left the room. Shi considered leaving herself, but it was better staying in here. No use going _looking_ for a fight when it would inevitably find her regardless. With a sigh, she pulled open her notebook, scribbling nonsensical shapes until the bell rang. There was a collective sigh of relief knowing the first day was almost over, and the scraping of chairs as students got up to leave. Despite his desire to go along with them, Kashii remained in his seat, waiting for the last of the students to leave. He had to pick up around the room, straighten desks, all the fun tasks. Thankfully, it didn't take long, and he headed off to the teacher's meeting.

Shi sighed, leaving the premises. She kept one eye open for Devon, but thankfully he didn't drop on her. She bit the inside of her lip, debating her next course of action. Home was for sleeping, period. In the end, she decided on the library. Stay there until closing, get a few books, read in the park until it was much too dark to do so. Walk around, stir up some trouble… yep, her evening was planned.

However, the evening held no pressing plans for a certain diminutive bluenette. The stress of the first day was gone. He needed to ease his mind. The black necktie was balled in his hand before he made it to the door. Over the summer, he'd needed to learn how to tie it. It still came out crooked at times, but hey, it was just part of the uniform. Kashii tossed his bag on the table as he passed. A good run would help him clear his mind. Changing his clothes, Kashii rooted around for the long leash that clipped to his beast's harness.

"Cat! C'mon, goin' for a jog."


	5. Chapter 3

By the end of the second week, Kashii had finally fallen into a routine. Teaching was already easier now that he was used to the classroom setting and talking heedlessly about things students don't care about and will never apply to real world matters. Not that it mattered. He was getting paid to talk heedlessly about things that students don't care about and would never apply to real world matters. Luckily, social studies was a broad subject, and it would be easy for him to keep the topics interesting.

Even so, the girl at the back of the room slept. The buzz of the students and the drawl of the teacher wasn't enough to permeate her mind. The last few weeks had been so busy; even moreso since school had started. She'd been hard-pressed to find yet another job to replace the day one she'd had to quit, and it left her working less-than-desirable hours. At least it paid well enough. Naturally, it gave others fuel to chat about; a few of her classmates had seen her out and about in places students shouldn't be at late hours.

The chatter was mild, a glance up from the textbook assured him that at least most of the students were listening. There were a few students, he noticed, who seemed to be having trouble keeping up. Two students in particular seemed to have problems keeping up, and a girl in front seemed to barely be able to keep up, frustration evident on her face. It was only a couple weeks in. Looking back at the clock, he saw there was about ten minutes left. He wrapped up the lesson, and beckoned to the girl in front.

"I'll stop here for today. There are a few students I need to talk to. Nishimura, come see me."

Glancing around as if he must be talking to some _other_ Nishimura, Johanna stood, following him to his desk. He motioned her to lean close as the other students didn't need to overhear.

"Are you having trouble following along?" he asked her quietly.

She looked nervous.

"Well, I…"

"You're not in trouble. I'm here to help."

That did little to help her confidence.

"Taking notes is hard… Maybe if you went a little slower?"

Kashii tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking of a solution. He didn't speak especially fast, and he _did_ write things on the board, but the most important information was usually said verbally.

"How about at the end of the day, you see me before you leave, and I can give you my lesson plans. Would that help?"

Not like he needed them afterward. A new one needed made each day. It was easy to copy down what was written on the board, and the important information bits were written on his plans. And less trash paper to deal with. Win-win situation for everyone. The girl brightened.

"I'd love that!"

"Good," he said with a smile. "See me after homeroom at the end of the day. You can go back to your seat. Wake Peterson behind you and send him up here."

Johanna returned to her seat, turning to look at the boy behind her. She waved her hand in his face and called his name to no avail, and eventually tapped him on the shoulder a few times until he woke. Kashii watched the display with little interest, considering having the boy bring a chair with him. Aside from being the only African-American student in the class, he was also the tallest, and frankly Kashii didn't want to crane his neck to the ceiling to talk to him.

"Bring a chair from one of the empty desks with you."

Tyrone did as told, and placed it next to Kashii's desk, taking a seat. Even sitting, the damn child sat taller than he did.

"I heard you're trying out to the football team."

A broad grin cracked the student's face.

"Yeah! Coach said I got a good chance of getting in."

Kashii responded with a smile.

"I wish you good luck with that. However don't let your studies suffer. Your grades on the last quiz was a lot lower than the first. I expect the next one to have a higher grade."

"Ah… yeah, I'll try."

With a nod, Kashii sent Tyrone back to his seat, glancing at the clock. The bell was going to ring soon.

"Someone wake Adachi and send her up here with her things."

There was a collective hesitation. No one really wanted to. With a raised brow, Kashii pointed directly at Kotone and motioned for her to do it. Glancing from Kashii to Shi, she put on a cheerful smile and prodded Shi.

"Shizu! Wake up! Sensei wants you to take your stuff and see him."

Shi begrudgingly opened her eyes at the sound of the girl's voice, recoiling at the touch. If she didn't arouse from the welcoming sleep, the girl would keep prodding her.

"Do _not_ touch me."

She looked forward to see her teacher, indeed, looking at her and waiting expectantly. The bell was going to ring. May as well. Not like he could keep her once class was officially over. Gathering her things in her back, she slung it on her shoulder and headed up to the front, taking a seat in the chair Tyrone had left.

"Something going on, Adachi? You slept through all of homeroom, too. This has been going on for a while. If something's wrong, you can talk to me."

Shi studied the diminutive man carefully. Should she answer? It was none of his business. Like she would come to him for anything. Her problems belonged to her and no one else. But then, he'd likely not let her go if she didn't give him _something_.

"I'm working nights. Day jobs are hard to come by when you're in school."

It wasn't so much what she said, but the way she said it that rubbed him wrong. Bitchy girl. But somehow she maintained her grades. Did well on quizzes. But quizzes were easy. He'd see how well she'd still be doing then. The bell rang before the conversation ended, and she moved to get up.

"Sit _down_. I'm not done speaking with you."

It resulted with a glare, but she sat back in the chair.

"What."

He waved a hand at her.

"Do what you want during homeroom. But I expect you to stay awake during class. Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

"Go."

The teacher pinched the bridge of his nose when she left. Troublesome students. When the room was cleared, he stood, taking the chair back where it belonged. He needed to get ready for the next class.

As always, lunch was a relief. Kashii snapped the textbook closed when the bell rang. He'd tidy the room after he got back. He returned to his desk to put away his things and lock them in the desk, scratching down some notes for himself. By the time he finished, he could hear a scuffle in the hall. Keeping an eye on the door, he made sure the desk was locked and wandered over, poking his head out to see what the commotion was. As it was hard to see around the wall of students circled around, Kashii pulled the door shut and came up to the crowd, pushing through the students to see what the fuss was.

At the center of the crowd were two boys going at it hard, but as he watched, he realized it was a completely one-sided fight. The larger, tanned boy was beating the shit out of another. The boy on defense had viridian hair and the gold pin for third year. Both were unfamiliar. Since no one else seemed keen to do it, Kashii stepped in, ramming a shoulder against the aggressor to throw him off balance. He turned with a snarl, and Kashii noted him to be a Hispanic third year. A heavy fist went for his skull. Ducking his head and grabbing the passing arm, Kashii pulled the student down onto his shoulder, rammed a knee hard between his legs, and shoved him away. The student curled up on the ground, gripping his jewels.

"All you shitheads clear out, and take Sunshine here with you."

Kashii nudged the student on the floor with his foot, waiting for the mob to disperse. Not many guys would use such a low blow, but when Kashii fought, he played to win, not to play fair. With a sigh, he crouched by the boy who was all but crying. He looked pretty beat up. Should at least take him to see Dave at the nurse's office. Having assessed the surface damage, he stood again, offering a hand.

"You alright, kid? What's your name?"

"Uuu… T-Tora…"

Tora took the offered hand, and Kashii pulled him up to his feet. However, the moment wight was put on his right foot, the student stumbled with a yelp. Catching him, the bluenette sighed. Sprained ankle, it seemed. Kashii pondered a moment what to do. Normal cases would have the injured person lean. But he was too small to offer much to lean on. That much he knew from experience. Dave's office was downstairs… There was another sigh. It would look bad on his part if he just ditched the kid. Scoring brownie points by word-of-mouth would make the year go better one deed at a time. That way, if shit _did_ go down, no one would believe it to be Kashii's fault, even if it was~

"C'mon, Tora. Let's get you to the nurse's office."

Somewhat awkwardly, the teacher lifted the teen on his back, little conversation as Tora was carried to the office. The student's name had been Jaun Camisaroja. He'd been right in guessing the student was Hispanic, at least. Shifting the larger male on his back, they made it down the stairs. Thankfully the office was on this side of the building. Pushing the door open, Kashii called for his friend, who also happened to play the part of school nurse.

"Daaaave. Got a customer for yeh."

No answer and a sweep of the office revealed that Dave Tsuujou was AWOL. Well.

"Prick…" he muttered, pulling a chair out with his foot and lowering Tora into it.

"Are you going to leave me here alone…?"

Hunter-green eyes looked over his savior. He was dressed like a teacher, but he was small and cute like a—

"Nah. Dunno when he'll get back."

Kashii began rummaging through the cabinets. He didn't know where Dave kept things yet. The room wasn't overly large; a few cabinets on one side accompanied by a counter and sink, a sick bed on the other with a curtain that could be pulled, and Dave's desk in back, the chair in front where the injured teen was seated. Behind the desk was a minifridge which he assumed held meds that needed to be cold, and ice. Kashii found alcohol and cotton, but nothing more useful. Clicking his tongue, he moved around DAve's desk, sitting in the rolly chair and rummaging through the drawers. Ah, bandaids. Tora watched the small male search through everything.

"Who are you?"

Kashii went to the sink, unscrewing the alcohol.

"Kashii Namame. New social studies teacher," he said, wetting some cotton with the alcohol. "What was Juan even fighting with you about? You don't look the type to start trouble."

Tora winced when the bluenette touched the cotton to his face, cleaning away the blood from his brow.

"Well… he was calling me… gay. And lots of other mean things."

Kashii continued to clean Tora's face.

"And _are_ you gay?"

There was no answer, and Kashii tossed the soiled cotton in the bin, rummaging through some drawers for antibiotic. The boy had a look about him that suggested so, but then Kashii had no room to talk in that department.

"If you are, you are. Kids find shit to fuck around with you no matter what. Look at me, I'm sure you can tell I got along just peachy."

Though, he did. Anyone who had ever so much as looked at him funny in high school about his height or his face were lucky if they walked away with all teeth intact. He'd gained a lot of tolerance about that over the years, especially when he was serving, but it was still a touchy subject.

"My advice: Either learn how to beat the shit out of those guys yourself or make some friends who can."

And at least learn how to _defend_ yourself. Dumbass should at least know that much. But the last part would be left unsaid. Maintain a nice image, and all will be well. Starting to put the salve on the bandages, he approached the student again. Tora watched with slight awe; Kashii sure seemed to know what he was doing in here. Tora spoke up when Kashii brushed viridian locks away to stick the bandage on the other male's brow.

"Does it bother you… if I am?"

Kashii spared a moment to make eye contact with a raised brow, then continued on his work.

"Why should I care? You ain't fuckin' _me_, and that's all that matters in my book."

Kashii stepped back, looking the third year over to make sure he'd cleaned up the surface wounds. Satisfied, he motioned to Tora's foot with his hand.

"Get your shoe off. There's a wrap around here somewhere…"

Tora obeyed, whimpering with pain when the shoe and sock came off. It had to of happened when he was knocked onto the ground. Kashii may know his way around a first-aid kit, but what he did not know his way around was this room. Digging in another desk drawer revealed what he was looking for, and he grabbed the roll and a pair of clips. By the time he'd returned and started wrapping, the door came open. Without even looking, he called out.

"'Bout time you came, jerkass. Letting others do you work…"

"Eh?"

Instead of the deep voice of the doctor's rebuke, Kashii looked up when he heard a smooth voice instead.

"Sukiyaki?"

The two regarded each other momentarily, and Kashii returned to wrapping.

"Thought you were the doc."

"No… that's quite alright," Jukai commented, glancing over the third year student when he passed. He'd come for ice for a student that had gotten injured in class, but the gym teacher was glad he'd dropped by and seen Tora here. Kashii glanced up when he heard the taller man get into the fridge.

"Could you toss me a bag of ice for gumdrop here? I'm almost done."

Tora wanted to greet Jukai like he normally did, but was unsure if he should, not with Kashii-sensei here, and bit his lip, wondering what to do. At the nickname, though, he tilted his head.

"'Gumdrop?'"

He was ignored, and Jukai passed off a bag of ice, pausing to watch.

"Not bad… who did this?"

"Some things you just need to learn along the way. It was a third year named Jaun Camisaroja. The way I sent 'im off, he'll likely be back for revenge."

A smile curved on the lips of the older man

"Well, that's a convenience."

"Hold this on," Kashii told Tora, giving the ice to Tora to hold on his foot. He raised a brow to Jukai but didn't question. Finished, he stood, stretching his arms.

"I'm heading off to lunch. I'll find the doc and send him back with food."

"Thank you!" Tora said before the bluenette left, getting a lazy wave in response. Hunter eyes rose to meet green-and-amber, and the greennette began to sniffle again.

"They were doing it again, Juu-chan!"

A large hand ruffled the student's soft hair.

"I know. I'll do something about it. See you tonight."

Cooking sucks. No, _really_. Shi hated Home Ec. Teams of four, work stations. She always opted to do the dishes rather than deal with food preparation, and her teams usually knew better than to ask her. Do enough to get the grade without having to deal with nonsense. Sandwiches and dollar menu burgers were plenty to sustain herself. She was still alive, wasn't she? But it was still better than what came in the next class.

Shi would rather have an all-day session with Sir Smiles-A-Lot in Home Ec than being in gym class with Jukai-sensei. The exercises he had the students do were strange, in the least. Lots of hip movement, it was like he was training dancers rather than athletes. Some students found it fun, and it may of not even been that bad, but the way the man studied you with those oddly-colored eyes of his… it was disgusting. Thank god those exercises were only warm-up and cool-down.

Music was far more enjoyable, at least. It was a large class with two teachers; one half was the choir and the other was the band. The students were allowed to choose which side they wanted to be in, but couldn't change after. The band played and the choir and to it. Shi chose to play the piano, but that meant she didn't get much of a chance to practice out of class.

Finally homeroom again, and Shi took the spare time to sleep some more. As usual she'd be up late, needed to get all the sleep she could get. That is, as long as _Namame_ granted her the _blessing_ of sleeping through his nonsense. He must have, however, because the next thing she remembered was the bell ringing.

When the students started to clear out, Kashii dug his phone out, calling up a friend. Daniel Porter, someone he'd met a couple years back in camp. They hated each other at first; probably why they came to be best friends. Three rings, and Kashii heard the voice of his friend on the other line.

"'Ey, Danny? Why don't you call Daichi? I wanna go out Friday to celebrate. Yeah, the same place."

Go home, go out, stay at school. Those were her options. Frankly she didn't want to be home nor at school, so she opted to go out instead. Perhaps to the library to read up on information she was missing when she slept. Maintaining good grades while simultaneously not caring wasn't easy, you know. Stopping at her locker, Shi pulled out a few textbooks and put them in her bag, slinging it over her shoulder and heading out. The library closed at seven. Work didn't start until ten. That would leave her three hours to kill if she stayed there until closing time.

It was only a fifteen minute walk from the school to the library. The closest one wasn't a spectacular one. Small and unimposing. A nice selection of books, the librarians order when they don't have. There were only three computers, one of which she'd be spending a good amount of the evening on once there was no more homework to be had. Unfortunately, it was also a hotspot for the Marx students _because _it was close, and there were few seats available. Eventually, she resigned to a free table with another boy sitting at it. By the bronze pin on his uniform she could see he was a Marx first year.

Satoshi looked up when a girl sat down across from him. A second year. She looked serious, unlike Miyuki. Miyuki hated the library. Too quiet. She'd rather wait for the movie than read a book once in a while. At least _some_ people knew where the important things lie. Tapping his pencil against his notebook, Satoshi continued his work. After a while, he considered asking about second year work. Wouldn't hurt to know beforehand what he needed to be preparing for in the future.

"How are the subjects in Second Year compared to First?"

Looking up through a curtain of midnight bangs, Shi studied the boy who was talking to her. She caught a glimpse of red behind the hair that covered his left eye and smirked.

"No harder than the difference between 9th and 10th grade. Any relation to Sukiyaki?" she asked, indicating his face with her pencil. His return expression indicated he thought as highly of the P.E. teacher as she did, and it earned amusement. The next half hour was filled with spiteful banter, which eventually turned to discussion about academics and the teachers. He left once his homework was finished after exchanging names, and she continued on her work. Sleeping through the classes made it a little more difficult to know all of the work she was supposed to be doing, but the handouts from the first day usually did a good job of telling her that much.

The rest of the evening was spent surfing the internet; checking news, weather, playing mindless games to pass time. Shi didn't do much in the way of social networking, but there were occasions where it came in handy. There was only so much she could keep herself entertained with though, and she logged off, hunting for books instead. Checking out a few, she settled in to read until time was up.

To be honest, Shi didn't like her job. But it paid well; much better than any _other_ job a sixteen-year-old girl could normally get. And that was the _only_ thing that made the damn thing worth it. She traipsed the path towards Russell's place, praying to god that the man wasn't home. He was unpredictable at best; some nights he was home with a beer, some nights he wasn't home until odd hours into the morning. Unfortunately, tonight was one of those nights he was home.

"Hey, Shizuka," he said in a thick drawl, "dinner's on the stove."

Shi cringed at his voice, long since bothering to correct him. He never remembered, and it was only on occasion he even said her name right. Why move to an Asian neighborhood when you can't pronounce the words? Not like it mattered much. After dropping her bag off in her room, she picked through the "dinner" he'd provided her with. It was better to eat what she was given than to go hungry. Not like she could cook herself. She wrinkled her nose when lifting the lid to the pot. Chili. Well, at least that would be a few days' worth of food.

After eating, the girl retreated to her room, changing from her uniform to a simple shirt and pants. Clearing the books from her bag, she slung it on her shoulder again, heading out into the night. The bag never left her, and it was safely locked away in a locker at work. Disdainful work, really. But, it meant having her own pocket change and keeping the lights on at home. God knows _he_ wouldn't sacrifice drink for rent. Another night just like the rest.


	6. Chapter 4

"Adachi?"

Although the voice cut through her mind, it did nothing to pull her away from the frightened cries of those she had once held dear. Dirty, crude, hungry. That's what she was. That's what they were. Survival of the fittest. If you wanted to eat, you had to work for it. And even then, there were nights when she went hungry.

"Adaaaachiii."

Shi opened her eyes, the blurry tan colors of the classroom coming into focus. Blinking once, then twice, she realized the room was empty.

"Awake yet?"

Instead of the ridiculous cheery grin she was used to, sitting sideways in the seat in front of her was Namame, a concerned look on his features.

"..."

"Kotone tried waking you after the bell rang. I just had her leave you, but I've gotta close up shop. This 'night job' of yours seems to take a lot out of you. Should try looking for other employment."

What would he know about jobs? Teaching is hardly a taxing profession. Some people needed to work _hard_ to get the things they needed. And even then, it was often not enough.

"Stay out of my business, and I'll stay out of yours."

Kashii leaned back against the ledge of the wall when she got up and left. This 'nice guy' routine would get old. But at least it would be worth the trouble. Eventually. Still, sometimes Kashii wondered why he went into teaching. He liked kids, yeah, but teaching roomfuls of bratty teenagers were another thing entirely. Especially when _he_ was one of those bratty teenagers not so long ago. Teaching in a school required him to play nice, so it was rather a refreshing break when kids got themselves into fights. Taking the time to break them up and deal with the aggressors was more interesting than standing in the classrooms. He just needed to make more interesting lessons. Turn teaching into a game. Kids learn better when it's fun.

With no studying to be had, Shi made her way to the park instead. Spend a few hours people-watching, perhaps get a sandwich at the McDonald's a few blocks over. Deciding on getting the meal first, she crossed the street from the school, heading in the direction of the restaurant. Once she'd gotten her food, Shi chose a booth by the window, nibbling on a fry and idly looking outside. Bored. That was a good way to sum up her day. Every day. Something exciting needed to happen now and then. Nothing was interesting. And even if it were interesting, it was only fleeting.

The next couple hours were spent perched on a park bench, reading one of the books she'd gotten at the library a couple days ago. This one was about another world, a land of talking beasts and magic. Conflicts were fought with swords, fists, or magic, sometimes even altering the landscape with the sheer power. It was interesting, much more interesting than _this_ life had to offer. What would it be like, Shi wondered, to set things ablaze or even _explode_ at the touch of her hand?

Pulling her from her thoughts were the booming barks of a large dog, and it was headed straight for her. The book was abandoned in favor of protecting her face from a huge slobbering tongue, hands digging into the thick fur around the beast's head to push him away. Struggling against a dog that was nearly as large as her—whom wanted nothing more to play, mind you—was irritating, but the footsteps of someone running and yelling towards her meant a savior was on the way.

"Sorry about that," the man, whom Shi assumed to be the owner, panted, yanking the mastiff back by his chain. "He usually doesn't take off like that. You must just attract dogs."

With a nervous smile and a second apology, the man took off, canine at his heels. With a sigh, Shi stood, putting her uniform and hair back in place. A way with dogs, eh? Perhaps she could get herself a watch dog. A rabid wolf sounded like a nice choice. One that could bite all those annoying fuckers like Devon, Shinji, and Russell. A score of others could fill that who-to-bite list, but for now, she'd leave it at that. Retrieving her book and thumbing back to the page she'd left off on, she absently considered what kind of beast would make a nice, loyal companion. By the time it was too dark to read and the light on the walk buzzed to light up, it was time to go. Getting to work earlier meant extra hours and extra pay. Wouldn't hurt once in a while. Marking the page and putting the book away, Shi slung the bag over her shoulder and headed out to start her night.

"Remember that time?"

"Oh, with the scissors and aerosol can?"

"Yeah! I cant believe you got away with that!"

Three guys walked on the street in the evening, laughing hysterically and smacking each other in the back over past achievements and nonsense. Like always, Kashii was dwarfed by his buddies, but that never meant much to them. Danny Porter, with copper hair and blue eyes, had been with Kashii going on five years. But the other, Daichi Hiiro, with his black hair and black eyes, had been Kashii's best friend ever since middle school. They'd been to hell and back together, but the chubby boy he once knew had chosen to stay in service rather than leave like Kashii did. Despite this, they always found time to hang out.

The chosen haunt of the night was a personal favorite of the musketeers, a club called Paradise Nights. It wasn't really often that they came here, it was pricey. But hey, what better place than a strip club for three single guys to enjoy a boys' night out? Teaching was a dull job compared to the last few years, but even so, the two wanted to hear all about the cute girls in Kashii's classes. With it being a Friday night, they could stay late, chat with the pretty girls, and get as hammered as they wanted.

As always, the atmosphere was hazy, brightly colored lights lighting up the stages and casting a glow on the darker area with the tables. As usual, the dancer on stage was an unfamiliar one. They didn't come here often enough to learn them by name, nor did they care to. The girls were up there to be viewed, perhaps touched if they got close enough. Sometimes they'd even get lucky and one of the boys would get to take home a prize for the night.

Getting a nice table near the stage, they continued chattering, talking about previous lays, games, and nothings. What had gone on since the last time they'd met up. It hadn't been since summer. It was good to catch up and hang out.

"The whole drink list, and you gotta order _that_?"

"Fuck off, I'm paying, I drink what I want."

So what if it was a girl drink? Kashii didn't give two fucks what Dai thought. Strawberry daiquiris were damn tasty and that's all there was to it.

"Treating you to straight vodka before we leave."

A snort.

"You're on. I can out-drink you any day, Dai."

Danny watched the procession with amusement, attention distracted by an approaching girl. He looked like a thunderstruck teen when she stroked his face, background music of wolf whistles and catcalls from the other two when she serviced him with an intimate dance. When another came up with their drinks, the boys were more interested in watching Danny, and Kashii didn't look to the girl who was approaching him until she laid a hand on his arm. However, the smile fell from his face when his gaze met the familiar violet eyes he knew well from the classroom.

_ 'Crap. Crap crap crap.'_

Shi recoiled as if she'd touched a hot iron. She tried to keep her cool, and played it off easy. What was he doing here? Of all places? Karma never liked to work in her favor, did it?

"Is there anything else I can get you boys?"

Kashii reached out to grab her arm when she walked away, but realized where he was and released her when her foot nearly cracked into his shin. With a curse he grabbed his drink. The fuck was that kid doing here? Well, it's not like he could ignore it. Other days, he wouldn't give two fucks who worked in these places. But she was one of his students. She escaped unscathed, and he tapped his fingers against the cold glass in thought.

"I think I found _my_ pick of the night," he said, finally standing.

"What, _that_ girl? Fitting for a little shit like you."

"To think they_ pay_ you to be alone with girls her age."

"Fuck _off_, assholes."

He should have known _something_ was up. There weren't many establishments that hired high schoolers at such late hours she'd been saying she worked. He ignored the laughing, draining the rest of his glass and heading towards the back. The easiest way to get her alone to talk was to buy some time with her. He'd seen plenty of girls when he was her age doing the same shit, knew they had their reasons. If she didn't have a damn good one he'd have no reason not to let the school know about her little escapades.

An exchange of cash for thirty minutes with the girl of his choice, he lounged in the cushy chair in the private room, thinking about what he should say, waiting for her to arrive. Needless to say, her face was absolutely fantastic when she arrived to find him. He raised a hand in greeting.

"Yo."

"Here to blackmail me?" She asked him with a scowl, clicking the door closed behind her, praying to _god_ he wouldn't stare at her tits.

"I've got better things to do with my time. Put this on."

Kashii slid off his jacket, throwing it at her. It would be easier to talk if she wasn't dressed like a little slut.

"Like buying highschool girls?" she sneered at him. "I'm sure this'll do wonders for your rep, _'teach'_."

Even so, she pulled the jacket over her shoulders, holding it closed. It was the only cover she had against those piercing gold eyes, and thank god he was offering at least that much. Better than being out there, at least. He merely shrugged.

"Really, I've had worse. And on the note of buying, what are you doing here?"

"What did you _think_ I was doing when I said I worked nights?"

"Certainly not _this_," he replied, indicating the room in general with his hands. Red velvet furniture, black painted walls. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it did the job nicely for its intended purpose. Shi leaned against the door, wanting to stay as far as possible.

"Because all-night babysitting and dog walking is such a _booming_ business."

Kashii sighed.

"Is it money you need? Or are you just doing this for kicks?"

The scowl never left the girl's face.

"Yeah, because being pawed at by men old enough to be my grandfather gets me off. Dumbass."

He shook his head in disappointment.

"Is there something you want to buy that makes you resort to this?"

She pushed away from the door, irritation bubbling over, and approached him with venom in her voice.

"_Some_ people have to _pay_ for things in life. Tuition and school fees, not to mention groceries and rent and the electric bill when _Baron von Fucktard, Lord of the Castle_ drinks away his disability and forgets to pay the fucking bills. Not to mention getting the damned social workers off my back because at least Whiskey-Dick McGee can't get it up to rape me like some of the _other_ scumbags out there will."

Kashii leaned back against the couch, letting out a low whistle. Yep, that was a pretty good reason. But the implications she gave him weren't very pleasant ones.

"Not _everyone_," she continued, "has the good fortune of external plumbing to make signing up for the military-class pleasure cruise _that_ much easier."

"I'd rather _give_ you money than let you do this."

As if military _anything_ could be considered a 'pleasure cruise' as it was, but he didn't bring that up. It wasn't the time nor place. He had a feeling that things would not go well as the conversation continued.

"I don't need your_ charity_, Namame. I've worked my ass off to get what little I do have, and just because it's not good enough for snobs like you doesn't make it any less mine."

'Charity.' What a laudable term, especially in the same sentence as his name. He smirked and patted the seat next to him.

"Sit down, I'd like to keep chatting. Can't have you stand the whole time, can I?"

She scoffed, hand on the knob to leave.

"Oi. I paid for your time, don't waste my money. Now sit _down_, or should I mention something to the manager about customer satisfaction? We got another twenty minutes."

With a curse, Shi withdrew from the door, seating herself to continue this _lovely_ chat with her teacher.

"How long's he gonna be gone?"

"Leave 'im alone, we got plen'y of fun righ' 'ere."

Danny raised a brow to Dai. Man had a low tolerance, didn't he? As if on cue, their little blue friend returned from the back, wearing a solemn expression.

"Whats wrong? Girl not worth your money?"

"Hah. It was enlightening, really." He gave a light punch to Dai's shoulder. "Take you up on your offer. Could use a few shots of vodka."

There was a snort, and the laughing began again. No matter how much he was prodded, though, Kashii wouldn't tell them what happened in the back room. Off on the side, in the dark, there were two hushed voices conversing, too low to be heard over the music.

"Did you bring it?"

"Of course. I'm a man of my word."

"And that's the only damn thing that makes you worth my while."

The male voice sounded irritated.

"I am aware."

The female voice was curt, and she spoke once more before leaving.

"Continue to do me good, and you will continue to be rewarded in kind."

Shi cursed, sitting alone in the room, a bill crumpled in her hand. She told him she didn't need it. He told her if she took it, he wouldn't rat her out to the school. Distasteful at best, but he hadn't touched her, not once, even where there were no eyes to see. Perhaps there was hope for the human race yet. No, on second thought, not likely. She considered trashing the jacket he'd left behind with her, but thought otherwise. It was a bit of a shield he'd left her with.

_ 'Life is too short to live just to survive,' _he'd said. _'There is always a choice and you shouldn't be degrading yourself in such a way. Find your own path and take the chance you need to reach the better place you look for.'_

Even after-hours he felt it a necessity to preach to the choir. Well whatever. Perhaps she should take it into consideration. Either way, there was a chance he could get her expelled for this now that he knew, despite his word. She'd need to quit. Hopefully she could get her pay, at the very least. Heading to the back, she traded the sparkly, skimpy nothings off for her much more comfortable home clothes.

Shi paused when she heard footsteps following her down the path that led to the street she took home. The pause was all her stalker needed, for he pounced on her. After all, a small, pretty girl coming home from her _tiring_ shift at the nightclub would be a _perfect _opportunity. Shi's switchblade was out before the assailant had a chance to fully close his arms around her, and she heard the yell when her blade bypassed cloth and sunk into soft flesh. She jammed it back further for good measure, and withdrew it. The man let go in favor of clutching the wound, staggering and cursing all forms of obscenities.

"You picked the wrong girl tonight," she said, flicking the loose blood from her blade. "They call me Death. Do you know why? Because I _am_ death. Get out of here if you want to _live_."

The man nearly fell in the gravel, falling back and shouting about what a crazy bitch she was. Satisfied, she knelt, using paper litter from the ground to clean the bastard's filth from her knife, and pocketed it once more, taking off at a faster pace towards her residence. Just when she thought she was safe, the bitter stench of smoke met her nose, and she saw the figure of the pedophile that bothered her nearly every morning. Shinji looked her over, exhaling the smoke, the taste of nicotine pleasant on his tongue.

"You're home early, aren't you princess?"

Shi gripped the knife in her pocket, debating on whether or not to let it taste blood a second time tonight. Thankfully, he seemed inclined to do little more than finish his smoke, and she passed quickly... only to be met with her angry guardian.

"The hell ya always doin' out so late, Shizuka?"

Ugh. He was drunk, too. Not that that was uncommon.

"Playing Pacman at the arcade."

He cursed.

"Why do ya waste yer money at those places. Ya know you gotta help out around here. Ya want to keep fed, don't ya?"

_ 'Well, maybe if you didn't hold onto your whisky like a life support, that wouldn't be the issue.'_

Rather than dignifying him with the answer that ran through her mind, Shi simply went passed, wanting nothing more to shower and sleep.

"I'm going to bed."

A few days passed since then, without incident. Namame never brought it up, he didn't call her out of class, he didn't act any differently than before. She supposed that was a good thing. But clearly, he had some ulterior motive. He had no real reason to vouch for her favor to the Headmistress. But without the need to stay up late, she'd been staying awake. That was probably the proof he needed to know she'd quit the job. Perhaps doing nothing pissed her off than doing _something_ did. She disliked not knowing what people were thinking when it came down to herself. The other students talked. Rumors spread around and eventually came back to her ears. She knew what people thought of her. This man held dangerous information over her head, and she had absolutely _no_ idea what _he_ was thinking. Thankfully, the bell ringing would provide temporary relief to that particular train of thought.

Fretting over it wouldn't do her any good. Judging by the note Russell had left her this morning, he'd be home all evening. And, of course, that meant she'd have to deal with him, and had no place to keep herself busy. The library would only keep her busy for so long. She could only play these mindless computer games for so long. Perhaps she should start reading comics too? She'd heard of some supposedly good ones from conversations the other students held. There was one that involved games and trolls, another that involved talking foxes. Lots of variety. Couldn't be so bad. At any rate, it kept her busy until closing time. Putting the new books into her bag, Shi headed out into the evening, listening to music on a cheap MP3 player she'd gotten at a thrift shop.

The lamps had already buzzed and flickered by the time Kashii had resigned himself to returning home. Some things were needed for the classroom, and he'd considered getting some kind of plant for the window near the desk. As he knew nothing about indoor plants, he'd need to look it up online when he got home. The soft sound of the plastic bags brushed against his leg as he turned towards the park.

Frankly, this place was unpleasant. If Stanley park sucked during the day, it was ten times worse at night. The scent of weed smoke hung in the air in some places; just as it had when he was a kid _smoking _that weed in some places. A hit now and then wouldn't hurt, but that would require finding his old favorite sellers, and he didn't want to look for new ones. Too much time and trouble. If it came down to it, he knew a couple people to bum.

A dark figure lounging on the wooden bench caught his eye, and he paused to see a girl curled up, leaned against the backboard. Troublesome little gnat. Putting a hand on his hip, he tapped the bags against his leg.

"Oi."

No response. He could hear the chittering sound of music on headphones, and rose his voice. There was a little matter that needed settled with this girl, anyway.

"_Oi_. Adachi."

Shi looked up when she heard her name, pulling the phones away from her ears. Her face turned sour when she saw the speaker. The sweatshirt he wore reminded her that she still had his jacket.

"Shouldn't leave your clothes with strangers if you want them back."

He tapped the bags against his leg again.

_ "If you get the chance,"_ he said in an equally sour tone. It hadn't especially been on his mind. "That's not why I stopped. I want to talk about the other night."

Shi pulled her hood over her head.

"We talked enough then, did we not?"

"Aye, plenty. I take it you quit, then?"

"Between the choice of working there and getting kicked out of school, I chose the more favorable option."

"What are you doing in the park at six in the evening? This isn't exactly the best place to hang out alone."

"Enjoying the scenery. Now leave me alone before I report you for harassment."

"My my, what a scary girl we have here." He gave a wave, moving on and leaving the girl to her own devices. "See you in class, Adachi. Try not to get eaten alive by the wolves that prowl these parts on your way home."


	7. Chapter 5

_ BOOM!_

"And _that_, brats, is how _not_ to mix chemicals."

It took a moment for the glass tubes to stop rattling. Raising her safety goggles, Amaya flashed a mischievous grin to her students, many of whom looked like they almost pissed themselves.

"If you don't know what you're mixing, you may lose a few fingers. But hey, you may consider that a plus; it gives you a reason to visit our cute school doctor!"

Shi watched from the side of the class as Amaya (never "sensei," never "Ms. Hozuki," only "Amaya") explained the chemicals she used to cause this reaction. Potassium in water. Idly, she wondered where teachers even got _ahold_ of dangerous chemicals; and then the second thought that crossed her mind was: Who thought it was a good idea to let this woman come in contact with them? Then again, that may have been what made Amaya Shi's favorite teacher.

Amaya had been somewhat of a "Big Sis" to Shi since the first year. Amaya had a way of getting into peoples' business, especially those who very clearly did not want her all up in their face. It allowed her to learn some things about the girl and act as somewhat of a protector and a role-model. Of course, not that Amaya ever modeled for the _right_ roles….

There was a hiss, and the students hummed with awe when Amaya mixed a couple things that made a color flash. The first couple weeks had been textbook learning; they were finally getting to learn about application. Today would just be a show of some of the things Amaya would be teaching, what would be on the tests, some of the things she won't be teaching, and some things that were illegal to make, therefore not on the test and not to be taken home to parents.

Makoto's History class had come before Amaya's. He may be a handsome teacher with a pleasant attitude, but his lessons were boring; it was a wonder anyone managed to stay awake and learn at _all_. The only thing that made it worth sitting through was knowing that Chemistry followed and she'd eventually learn how to blow things up. Chemistry hadn't been a course available to first years, so it was one of the few small things Shi had looked forward to in school.

The class ended with students being literally gassed out of the room, the stink of sulphur pervading the senses. Flicking on the vent hood and holding a cloth on her face, Amaya watched with a great deal of amusement as the students made the most amazing faces at the stench. Oh, how she loved her job. Before the last student could leave, Amaya hooked her long fingers into the loop on the girl's bag. Shi looked back when she was stopped, a sleeve covering her nose, wondering what the Chem teacher wanted.

"How you been?"

Her voice was muffled under the cloth.

"Lost the job you found me. _Someone_," A certain social studies teacher came to mind, "found out."

"Ooh, girl, I thought I taught you better than that."

Shi's smirk was hidden behind her sleeve.

"I'll come up with something. I've got to get going; the Jolly Giant will notice if I'm missing."

Amaya gave a wave when the girl left and dropped the cloth on the table. The smell was clearing out, but it certainly didn't stop the next batch of students from smelling it.

Kashii sunk into the cushy desk chair when the lunch bell rang. The routine may have been easy to ease into, but standing at the front of a room filled with brats, training the next generation of hooligans… ten years ago he'd have never even _pictured_ himself in this place. He _hated_ teachers. All teachers. Except one, one sole, single solitary woman who was, perhaps, the reason he had his turn-around in his late teens. Allanah Miles, the head of the Special Education department. He'd not gotten a chance to visit her; she was the entire reason he'd chosen Marx to teach at in the first place.

Allanah had been the after-school cram teacher he'd seen every day after school (even if he hadn't even gone to school) since high school. One of the few women he held true respect towards; he could even venture to call her a 'friend.' Kashii idly wondered if she even knew he was teaching here. They'd never crossed paths; perhaps he should take a visit to her department and see how she is. With his luck, though, it would be a sick day. Wouldn't surprise him. Ensuring his desk was locked, Kashii headed out into the hall.

"Kashii-sensei!"

Kashii stumbled forward when the weight collided into his back, hardly halfway down the hall when he was squeezed.

"Ah? Who—Let go!"

Tora let go when his arms were pried off, smiling brightly when the startled teacher turned on him. It took Kashii a moment to place the face; this was the kid he'd helped the week before. He certainly seemed well enough now. Excitable fellow, wasn't he?

"Thank you!" Tora said, hugging the teacher again. "You really helped me out then!"

Kashii growled. Thanks was all well and fine, but hell, he never asked for any. He squirmed under the kid's grip, unable to unlock the arms that were behind his back, and just smacked Tora in the head.

"Let _go._" A sudden breath of free air when he was released._ 'Well, no __**wonder **__they pick on you, kid.' _ "Do it again," Kashii warned, "And that Jaun will be a ray of sunshine compared to what I'll do. Now. You're welcome. Go to lunch."

"But… okay."

Hopefully that would ward him off. Tora, however, looked like a kicked puppy. All he was doing was saying thanks, why did Kashii need to be so mean? But the bluenette had helped him; maybe it was just his bark being worse than his bite.

Special ed, special education… where was the department? Somewhere in the language department, but Kashii hadn't exactly brushed up on his Spanish to ask directions. Thank god, at least there were signs, and he poked his head into the office. With it being lunch break, there were virtually no students, and only one other person there.

"Is Ms. Miles here?" Kashii asked, looking to the woman who was there. She turned to look at him.

"Ah, Alannah? She left for lunch. Would you like me to leave her a message?"

Kashii waved a hand.

"Tell her an old friend came by. Send her down to room 2-B during last homeroom, if she's free."

"Sensei, how do you say it in Russian?"

There was a breath of irritation.

"кукуруза сдоба."

The student that asked tilted her head, copying the syllables.

"Kukuruza... zoba?"

"Sdoba."

Gin's brow knit in irritation. 'Corn muffins.' Was it really _that_ interesting to know the Russian word for it? Every class, someone asked him what some word or another was. Pinching the bridge of his nose to calm the simmering irritation, he fixed his glasses, grouping up the students into five groups of four and one group of five. Shi's group consisted of one first year male and three second year females, including herself. One girl assigned herself to dishes before Shi had the chance to, and Shi's expression was about as happy as Gin-sensei's was. Goodie.

Instead, she took to being the one to hunt down the ingredients they needed. Flour, sugar, honey, eggs, cornmeal… Looking the list over, she checked with the male who was helping, ensuring they got all of the ingredients between the two of them. Thankfully, she wasn't expected to actually _participate_ in the cooking portion, and merely read off the recipe card instead. People still remembered what happened the last time she'd participated directly in cooking. Didn't matter; whatever got her the passing grade.

Gin watched his students absently, keeping an eye out for fires. It would be hard to start a fire making muffins, but he'd seen it happen with children who weren't even preparing a meal that used the_ stove_. His mind was more intent on his _after_ school activities. He'd need to pay a visit to the butcher. They were almost out of meat at home, and with three carnivorous mouth to feed together, a lot of meat was needed. His little sister, though, she was the greediest of them when it came to meat. Hopefully Katya won't be _too_ hungry. She always got restless when dinner was late.

The room eventually filled with a pleasant aroma. One of the few things Gin liked about the job was the smell of the food. Less favorable was taste-testing the results. While it was often alright, some students somehow spawned the most _disgusting_ things out of perfectly good ingredients. Criminal, really, the way those children could waste food. He ought to bring his cat here to show students what happens to those who waste food. But oh… right now, all he _really_ wanted was a smoke.

One group in particular looked like they were having trouble, and kept shooting troubled glances his way, muttering among each other. As usual. Many students were scared of him, god knows why. Gin didn't feel like he was outwardly unkind. Standoffish, yes, he'll admit. It was a play of bad casting that landed him a role in teaching, he was in _no_ way fit to be a teacher, but the students learned what he taught them, and that was the point. But some students just couldn't cook.

"Я пытаюсь научить вас, как сделать чертовы сдобы," he muttered, advancing towards the group, "не вся история Советского Союза."

The children were used to that. Far too often they asked what he said, but after a time they just stopped. It was likely not something nice, but even if it was, the tone he generally said it in _wasn't_.

"Vhat is the problem?"

"I, uh, um. Right."

A snowy brow raised at the boy. The student didn't know what to do. It was a dumb question, so so dumb. Scrutinizing icy eyes and and-

"Is there a difference between baking powder and baking soda? We used soda on accident…"

Gin's gaze fell to the second male. Was that all? They act like he was going to bite them…

"Da, it's an easy fix."

Rummaging around on one of the higher cabinets, Gin withdrew a bottle of vinegar. Asking for the teaspoon measurer, he added a dash to the recipe.

"Minimal flavor change, but fixes it."

Arms swaying at his sides, he walked up and down the cooking stations, checking on the progress. Some students had theirs already baking, some were still mixing; all stages of the cooking process found at once. Shi's group was the first to pull theirs out of the oven. With a cooling and a taste-test, they passed the assignment for the day, each of them taking muffins with them to eat later. Unfortunately for Shi, her next class was gym with Sukiyaki. Skipping was debatable, but she'd already skipped the last two classes. If she didn't show up at _some_ point, it wouldn't end well. With a sigh, she trudged to her locker in the west wing to grab her gym clothes and store the muffins. They'd make a good dinner.

_Fweep!_

The sound of the whistle made Shi's ears ring. If nothing else, she could admit his exercises promoted the flexibility of his students. It wasn't surprising, considering his _after_ school job. Since she'd found out, it made his teaching style fall into place more, and she twisted her hips like the girls around her. It may have been aerobics, but it was certainly more sensual than your usual routine.

"Jukai-sensei! I still can't get this right!"

A few students looked back to the tall girl who'd spoken; Kinsei Byakushin. She was the Home Ec teacher's little half-sister. Kin's icy-blue eyes looked expectantly at the teacher. Frankly, she _did_ get it, but making him demonstrate the movements was _worth_ purposely screwing up. Of course, Jukai knew damn well she knew what she was doing. She was the tallest girl in class, quite easily the easiest female to spot. The males were in a separate group, with a separate set of exercises.

"I'll show you once more, Kin. Afterwards we're heading outside for laps."

Kin copied his movements when he rolled his hips, some of the girls giggling. Shi blew a lock of hair from her face, shaking it. It was as if he was training them for a burlesque audition rather than conditioning them for athletics. At least Shi had the tactical advantage of being smaller than a lot of the other girls, and could blend into the group while she danced. It wasn't that it wasn't fun, it was that she didn't like being watched.

A quiet girl with white hair watched sensei's movements closely, almost too distracted by him to do the exercises properly. Gym was one of Ashe's favorite classes. She liked to exercise, work up a good sweat, push herself. Jukai-sensei was a good teacher in that regard, he pushed everyone, he was never mean, always encouraging to the students, male and female alike. Ashe may have been the one in the archery club, but when she met those odd-colored eyes, it was as if _she_ were the one struck with an arrow.

Once everyone was feeling especially limber, the lap running outside on the track course would begin. Shi wasn't especially the fastest girl in the class, but she was by far not the slowest, and held up in the middle of the pack for the one-mile jog around the court. Wednesdays were always lap days. Monday was gymnastics training, more fun for the girls than it was the boys. Tuesday was swimming. Tomorrow would be basketball, it was _always_ a ball sport, and Fridays were free games decided on vote. Dodgeball was a favorite.

The students stopped to drink once they were relieved of running—only when they finished the one-mile trek, no matter how long it took—and sat in the grass, waiting for the stragglers. Shi took a seat away from the group, crossing her legs and plucking at the blades of grass. Outside parks, there were few areas inside city limits with a proper "lawn" of grass. It was nicer to sit on the green than it was to sit on dirty asphalt, but sometimes you can't have better alternatives.

When they returned to the gym at the end of the bell, a large, tall man was waiting at the exit to the hall, waving to the girls once they came from the changing rooms.

"Brat!"

Kin broke from the crowd, tackling her other brother with a crushing hug. Although she was considered tall compared to the majority of the female populace, her brother Gin, standing at six foot five, dwarfed her in comparison. Some people watched with interest. "Brat"? That man? What did she have to do with him? Not like most people knew they were siblings; the two shared no common features aside from their eyes.

"Zdravstvuyte, sestra."

The two left the gym, chatting about the beast waiting for them at home.

There was a screech of a trumpet hitting the wrong note, which, in turn, caused a lot of other instruments to screech in surprise.

"Newton! Control your breath!"

The students looked back to their teacher, Mr. Goujou, who'd called to the student who'd first hit the loud, sour note and thrown everyone else off. A slightly pudgy man who was far too zealous of his job, Hayato _loved_ teaching music.

Shi looked up from her position at the electric piano, watching the tea-colored curls bob around at the front of the room, trying to instruct. Orchestra on one side, choir on the other, the room was large and spacious. There were two teachers in charge of the class, Miss Melody Mason and Mr. Hayato Goujou. Miss Mason handled the choir, and both groups performed together. Naturally, this early in the year it sounded like a cacophony instead of music.

His spontaneity was what made the class interesting, and Shi quietly tapped out the notes on the piano in back, pressing the pedal now and then. She wasn't adept at reading the sheet music yet, but she at least knew which key belonged to which note. By the end of the first term, the song would be mastered by all the students; it would sound nice then. But for now, it was merely a mash of missed notes and forgotten words. Unfortunately for Shi, she was only able to practice at school, unless she randomly walked into a music store with display pianos, but that wasn't a luxury she had time for.

The piano hit a sour note when the bell rang, and Shi gathered her belongings. Next thirty minutes would be spent in homeroom with Namame, and then she was free until… well. What _would_ she do, anyway? Home was not a place she was interested in returning to tonight, and without the night job, she had nothing else to do. Tch. At least she had some books with her.

_Right… wrong… Alabama State._ Kashii's black pen scratched against the papers, correcting worksheets from earlier classes. Frankly, the bluenette had a habit of putting off grading until late, so if he spent the last homeroom doing it, or at least _most_ of it, it would leave the rest of his day free for more _entertaining_ activities. A smile tugged at the corner of his lip when he considered what _sorts_ of 'entertaining activities' he could plug into his evening, and he didn't even so much as offer a wave of welcome to the students that spilled into the room just before the bell rang. Some teachers devoted this time to students working on getting their homework done. Kashii didn't give two shits what these kids did in their last half-hour of school.

A knock on the door about halfway through the period had Kashii's attention, and he motioned for Johanna to get the door. When the slight-framed teacher came in, Kashii leaned back in his chair, sliding the silver frames from his nose to the desktop. It had been a good while, hadn't it? The mix of surprise and pride on the woman's face was rewarding. He gave a lazy wave in greeting, the same way he had when he'd first met her.

"Kashii?"

"Yo."

Taking her out into the hall, Kashii fell into discussion with the teacher. Allanah Miles, a woman he hadn't spoken to in four years. He'd been meaning to since he'd gotten back into town, really, but preparation had taken priority and his free time was left to other activities. But, he felt the need to check in with her. After all, Allanah was the reason he'd chosen to teach at Marx Senior Academy versus all the other schools.

"I never thought I'd see _you_ take up a teaching profession."

Kashii kicked his heel against the doorframe.

"Things change, don't they?"

Allanah brushed mousy brown locks from her eyes The chilling blue would always send chills down the male's spine, _especially_ when the woman was angry. She wasn't imposing, but she had an _aura_ about her at times…

"You'd always had a problem with authority. Someone told you you couldn't, so you did just to shove it in their faces, I wouldn't doubt."

He laughed at her.

"Nah, nothing so cynical. You see, it's different when _I'm_ the authority, rather than the one having to bow to it. Nothing's changed since then."

There was a smile on her freckled face.

"No, I suppose it hasn't, has it?"

"Prat, I been waitin' out 'ere for an hour. Where 'ave you been?"

Just the person Kashii did _not_ wish to see.

"I started teaching at school three weeks ago, Jitters. You should have known that by now. Here for Rufus?"

"Blimy… they actually let a child like you _teach_?"

"Thank _you_ for the _inspiring_ vote of confidence."

Kashii moved around the woman who was waiting in front of his door. Emma Jitters was a tiny woman; standing next to her even Kashii looked tall. He'd met her a few months back when he'd first moved in, and she'd fallen in love with the misshapen creature he lovingly called a 'pet.' Unlocking the door, he pushed it open, letting her in behind him. There went his plans for a fun evening. The woman had a force about her that pulled others into her own pace. She may have been going into her sixties, but her sharp tongue made you think otherwise at times.

"Have a seat," Kashii said, dumping his bag onto the dining table and loosening his tie, headed towards the kitchen. "I'll get him for you and start some tea."

By now he was used to dealing with her. She was a robust woman, downright bristly at times, but getting to know her left her company not entirely undesirable. He didn't let her leave the house with the wretched creature, so if she wanted to see him she needed to visit at Kashii's place. Cat jumped up on the arm of the sofa to sniff at the wispy white curls that clung to Jitters's head, intrigued by the scent of perfume.

Kashii tapped the glass of the molerat's tank, causing the ugly pink creature to poke his nose out from underneath a pile of cedar clippings and paper litter. Rufus turned his head around, a poor attempt at focusing a beady eye on his master. Without warning, the animal found himself lifted out of his tank and snuggled between the warm hands of his small master. He let out a squeak, poking his head out from between Kashii's fingers as he was carried out of his tank in the kitchen to the lady in the livingroom who wanted to see him. Kashii left to start some tea when the molerat was passed off.

"What brought you over today? You didn't come just to see Rufus."

"The tottie called me when school let out."

There was a clanking of dishes as Kashii stretched for the tea packets he kept on the second shelf. He hardly ever drank tea, didn't even particularly _like_ it, but kept some around for when the woman showed up. She liked to dig, like a mole, and often he'd refer to her as such. The majority of the afternoon into the evening had been spent conversing with the woman over this and that. Kashii had known Jitters since before he'd left, and she'd always been in contact with Allanah. Sometimes she'd drop by to see what was going on with the little punk under the guise of visiting his mole rat, though she really did seem to like the creature.

It was seven by the time Emma Jitters left to return to her own apartment on the next floor up, and a glance at the clock made him realize he needed to get going if he wanted to have dinner tonight. Tonight was meat, perhaps pork. He had potatoes and rice at home, just needed a few things at the store. A bottle of coke would do good as well. He should probably get some butcher scraps for Cat as well. A big beast like her needed_ real _meat now and then. Realizing he didn't have his jacket, Kashii grabbed a thick hooded sweatshirt and pulled it over his head, heading out the door.

"Come again!"

The bell on the door tinkled when Kashii left. He'd made it just before closing, thank god. He didn't want to have another boxed pasta night. The sky was a pale shade of blue, surroundings dark. With the tail-end of the year coming around, days were getting shorter. The lamps were already lit by now, and there were fewer people on the street. It was just as well, most people didn't like being out in this area at night, and with good reason. The wolves that prowl the streets at night were pack predators, with lone stragglers as their prey.

The park was a hotspot for those kinds of people, and after dusk there was nary a soul in sight, at least, not the soul of an honest, hard-working person. Stray off the path and you're as good as screwed, but then, that was never really a concern of Kashii's. He knew full well what was out here at night, and it didn't scare him. If it weren't for that, the lights that lined the black path could be considered pretty, the way the park was lit up at night. Perhaps it had been a nice place in its time, but now it was nothing but trouble.

Speaking of trouble, Kashii spotted a familiar form laying on the preferred bench. His gait slowed to a stop when he reached her. He should have figured something was up the last time he'd spotted her here. Adachi lay, still in uniform, asleep on her bag. It didn't appear as if she'd even gone home since school let out. The male had half a mind to just leave her there. She was the one choosing to after all. He moved forward half a step, then paused. There was also a chance that she didn't choose this, too. Then, he'd just feel like a dick. Coming back to the bench, he crouched by her head.

"Oi. Adachi." When he was met with no response, he poked her forehead. _"Oiii."_

He dodged backward just in time to avoid the switchblade aimed at his face, and he grabbed the girl's wrist when it came back, twisting her arm until the knife fell from her fingers. She sat up instantly with a snarl when her arm was twisted.

_ "Who!?"_

Releasing her wrist, Kashii leaned away, hands up in surrender.

"Good morning, princess."

He was met with a scowl. The man was lucky he dodged, most others weren't so lucky.

"Touch me again and lose your balls."

The threat was ignored. Shi sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Kashii stayed crouched, retrieving the blade, folding it and handing it back.

"Why are you sleeping in the park? And so late, no less."

"My chateau is being fumigated"

A cobalt brow raised.

"Big words for a little lady."

"You know what they say, we keep extra brain power in our tits."

Uh-huh. An interesting character, this girl was. Kashii fingered the plastic handle of the grocery bag.

"Why are _you_ in the park so late at night?" She asked him. "Looking for your next victim?"

The teacher's eyes narrowed.

"I take this route home every night. It's faster than walking around it."

Shi looked around the dark park, the sounds of voices talking just out of sight, laughing, yelling. The smells of smoke and booze, the scrape of metal against who-knows-what.

"Of course you do. You fit right in with the chain-smokers and junkies. Here for the bi-weekly meeting of gang-rapers-anonymous near the jogging track by the duck pond? Scenic view worth five stars."

Kashii brushed off the comment.

"And you feel safe sleeping here?"

She waved her knife.

"Tread lightly and carry a heavy arsenal. What's your defense?"

Putting his hands on his knees, Kashii stood, starting to get a little irritated.

"I can hold my own against men twice my size—"

"Which would be most of the population."

"—I think I can handle the city… park."

He smacked her upside the back of her head in annoyance.

"You need a place to stay tonight?"

Part of him wished he'd just walked by, like he would of in the past. But she had a wall up, and even though she clearly wasn't in a good place, she was more than willing to deal with that on her own. Just like at the club, if it had been anyone else, Kashii wouldn't of given two fucks. But she was one of the kids he was supposed to be watching over. Leaving her in a place like this wouldn't sit well with his mind.

"I don't fuck for petty favors."

"I've got better things to do with my time than play with little girls."

Shi stood, face-to-face, and brought her hand up to measure heights. It may not have been much, but she stood slightly taller than he did. Impressive when she stood a proud five foot three. With a growl, he knocked away her hand, putting space between them.

"I'm offering a warm meal and a place to sleep. But hey, if you'd rather go hungry on a cold park bench all night, please, be my guest."

He had an extra room, and he'd just bought plenty for dinner. It meant less leftover for tomorrow's dinner, but that was of little consequence. It wasn't as if boxed pasta tasted _bad_ or anything. Shi mulled over his words in her head. Thus far he hadn't shown any inclinations of taking advantage of her, and god knows he'd had the opportunity to do so more than once already. But you can't judge a book by its cover, she'd learned _that_ more than once herself, the hard way.

"And what do you expect in return?" Kashii tilted her head at his question. "An alibi? Perhaps you want to get brownie points with Principal Bitchtron for bringing in the naughty kids? A line on a dealer, maybe?" As if Kashii needed a line; he still had a few to call if he needed. "Everyone wants something and nothing is _ever_ free. Name your price."

Such a cold girl, this Adachi. Quite a few things happened in her past to make her turn out this way. But she earned a smile at "Principal Bitchtron."

"I'd like to hear your story."

Perhaps he should learn a little bit more about her. Instead of appreciation at a more pleasant price, she scowled again

"Some people died. I was born. More people died. I haven't died yet. Someday I _will_ die. The end. Don't give me that clichéd 'Hero teacher saves the world one student at a time' act; I don't buy it."

Kashii kicked the pavement with his toe.

"There _are_ no heroes; Only people who _do_, and people who _don't_. I'm someone who _does_. If you want to come, then come." He turned, walking down the path. "Hurry up, though, if you are. I've got nothing to lose either way."

Shi huffed, considering, then grabbed her bag and followed after him.

"...I don't cook," she said finally, eyeing the grocery bag and thinking of the gnarl in her stomach.

"Aye, I didn't expect you to. But I _do_."

Kashii looked around the complex when they reached the apartments, checking for signs of people. There didn't appear to be anyone around. It was fully dark by now, but the streetlamps casted more than enough light. Regardless of his intentions, being seen bringing a student into his home for _whatever_ reason would not bode well at the next faculty meeting. Second floor, second-to-last door, he unlocked the door and flicked on the light. A large, spotted face gave a loud mewl in greeting from the back of the couch as they entered. How _dare_ her master come back so late. Shi blinked at the feline

"Strange… you always struck me as a dog person."

Kashii scritched Cat under the chin.

"I _am_ a dog person."

Tossing the keys on the table, he headed towards the kitchen to start getting food ready. Shi looked around the apartment. Not bad, really. She gripped her bag tighter, unwilling to put her guard down. For all she knew, this could be an ambush; _Sensei_ could have a friend hiding somewhere just for her. Pausing at the table, she looked towards the saloon doors that marked the entrance to the kitchen. Should she wait, or should she just have a seat and make herself comfortable?

"Go ahead and jump through a shower," he said, poking out to point where the bathroom was. "I'll dig up something for you to sleep in, and dinner should be ready by the time you get out."

It would keep her busy until then, anyway. It was clear she was uncomfortable. The door had a lock, if she really didn't feel comfortable with it. Heading back in, Kashii unloaded the bags, unwrapping a piece of meat from butcher paper. Moving over to Rufus's tank, he paused to glance at the creature before bending underneath the ledge to drop the meat into Cat's dish.

Shi shifted her weight on her hip. The environment was unfamiliar, yet he essentially asked her to strip down and put herself in an extremely vulnerable position. Well, it wasn't as if she couldn't protect herself, and he'd have more than just his job at stake should she say anything. Plus she had a wedge in her bag she could jam under the door. The situation wasn't favorable, but it was stupid not to take advantage of kindness when it was offered to her. With the man busy in the kitchen, Shi abandoned her shoes by the wall and padded across the white carpet towards the door she assumed to be the bathroom.

The bathroom, at least, was a lot cleaner than Russell's. _Everything_ here was cleaner than Russell's. No stench of alcohol, mold, or nicotine, either. Perhaps it _wouldn't_ be such a bad place to spend a night at. Certainly better than a park bench, at any rate. Ensuring the door was locked behind her when she entered, Shi dug for the wedge in her bag and jammed the stopper underneath it for good measure. He wasn't getting in unless he kicked the door down, and Shi _knew _she wasn't worth personal property damage.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, the object of mistrust was busying himself with humming and heating water to make rice. Moving slowly as to not trip over the beast twirling around his feet, Kashii left the kitchen to hunt for some clothes. He didn't mind lending some, it was more a fact that there were so few who actually fit them to begin with. The girl was small enough; a tshirt and some sweatpants ought to do the job. He ought to straighten the other room as well; he had boxes of things strewn about that he'd been too lazy to unpack. Saezuru never minded when he spent the night, but Zuru was a little brother; family didn't count.

"Clothes are outside the door," Kashii called through the door with a knock. Shi wiped water from her face, head turned towards the sound. Other than the knock, no effort to come in. Good, this was good. Her nails scratched along her scalp to get the soap out under the running water. She considered taking her sweet time in here. It was locked and he couldn't come in, she could even sleep in the bathtub if it came down to it. But the gnarl in her stomach reminded her that he was going to feed her as well, and that meant coming out. Ensuring the soap was gone, she turned off the water and wrung out her hair.

By the time he heard the bathroom click open, the food was nearly ready. Rice, potatoes, pork chops. Would be a nice filling meal for someone who hadn't planned on eating. Stretching over the sink, kashii pulled down two plates, then fished silverware from a drawer. It had been a while since he'd actually shared a meal with someone other than his cat. At home, anyway. He'd been too busy since school started, but often his evenings would be spent out with a girl. Rarely did they make it back to his place for dinner. No, it was usually far too late for dinner by the time he'd get home with the girl.

Cracking open the two-liter of Coke, Kashii poured two glasses with ice. Seeing how friendly she was, he should probably eat here and let her stay at the table. He'd need to keep Cat occupied; she could be a little overbearing with strangers. He laughed to himself over the memory of the time Cat bit Daichi for horsing around too roughly with him. A playful yet protective mutt of a feline Kashii had. She wasn't a dog, but she was the closest thing he could get without the bark.

"I'm done."

Shi poked her nose through the swing doors to the kitchen, following the good smell. Kashii beckoned her in when he saw her.

"Help yourself; there's plenty."

She looked at him skeptically before her eyes went passed him to the large tank against the wall, and she tilted her head quizically.

"What's in there?"

Following her gaze, Kashii paused to look at Rufus's tank. The molerat was buried under the litter and out of sight. Her reaction to the creature would be worth a look, but not before dinner.

"A rat. He doesn't bite; you can play with Rufus after dinner. Don't stay up all night playing with the animals though."

"Right."

The sarcasm in her tone was sour. She was old enough to know when to go to bed; Kashii wouldn't bother telling her when to go. If she wasn't up by breakfast he'd wake her though. He leaned against the back counter, watching and waiting for her to get food. Shi looked uneasy at best. Selecting a plate, she took her pickings and headed back to the table. Passing off the drink to her, Kashii fixed his own plate.

"So," he said, "What _really_ had you sleeping out in the park? If that's a more favorable place to be than home."

"Locked out."

An annoying, nosy fuck, wasn't this guy? Shi poked around at the food on her plate. Certainly better than anything Russell ever made for her. He didn't often buy actual meat let alone know how to cook it. Chili, stew, sandwiches, noodles, fried chicken. That was the extent of his culinary prowess. It didn't stop her from checking for drugs in the rice and potatoes. Though, if he was drugging her he'd have to be drugging himself too; her food came straight from the stove. It was hardly comforting, but it was enough to ease her mind and allow her to take the first bite.

Shi noted absently that Namame wasn't coming out to sit with her at the table. It was just as well, she didn't like being watched when she ate. It worked out better this way, really.

"Get down, Cat!" She heard him hiss at the beast in the kitchen. Couldn't even call his own pets by name.

"What's the cat's name?"

"Cat."

"The spotted beast begging for meat."

"Her name is Cat."

"…"

Creative. This would be a fun night for sure.


	8. Chapter 6

"Get _off_ of me…" came the sleepy mumble of a man who was kept up much later than he should have been. Fishing for the alarm button was easier once he'd shoved the limp, heavy mass of fur from his head, feline meowing indignantly at having her sleep interrupted. He'd set the clock for five to try and allocate more time for sleep. It just meant a shorter morning run.

Dragging himself out of bed to start his day, he remembered that he'd brought one of his students home last night. It was a bit of peace of mind, really. She'd been fed and given a place to sleep, a much better outcome than she'd have gotten had he left her. Who knows what the creeps at the park would have done to a small teenaged girl on her own.

Kashii splashed water on his face once he finished his business. Getting up this early to run sucked, but with school starting early, it meant he had to get up even earlier. It was a good start to the day either way, helped wake him up and feel ready to take on the day. Tying his long hair into a pony, he left the bathroom to fish for running clothes, he prodded his cat awake.

"Wake up, lazyass. We're going out."

Most people would take a dog with them, if they took an animal at all, jogging with them. But not Kashii. Instead, he took a cat. Cats Cat's size required walks and plenty of exercise daily to maintain health. If they didn't spend their energy, they'd end up destroying things in the house, as Kashii had learned once she was fully grown. Her long legs could keep up with his strides, and she kept close on her leash unless spooked by a dog. Running this early meant a crossing with a dog very unlikely, and that worked out better for the both of them.

The girl should still be asleep by the time he would start breakfast, but he would make sure to be back early enough. Making sure he had his watch, the bluenette slipped the Savannah's harness on, clipped the leash, grabbed his keys, and took off out the door. At this time of the morning, the city was still lit up. Lifting his cat, Kashii gazed out at the lights momentarily before carrying her down the stairs. The lights were pretty. Cat squirmed in his grip, but she liked to jump the wrong way through the stairs and get herself all tangled up.

Unlike during the day, the Bricks was peaceful now. Well, as peaceful as Newark could get. The lamps set a glow on the sidewalks, and the leaves from the few trees would often speckle and pattern the walk. Cat's paws thudded softly alongside his footsteps. There were few people on the street, and those that were spared glances at the large feline at his heels. Not everyday you see someone taking their cat for a jog.

An hour passed before the pair returned to the apartment, Cat draped across his shoulders like a furry shawl. She may have been able to keep up, but she only had so much stamina. It was a good way to exhaust all of her energy. The house was still dark when he opened the door. Releasing Cat from her harness so that she could drag herself off to the dog pillow in the corner of the living room, Kashii went to get ready for a shower.

Shi awoke to the smell of bacon, and she felt her stomach pang. She hadn't had bacon since the foster family before Russell took her in. She twisted in the bed, placing her feet on the floor, and blinked at her surroundings. Blue plaid blanket, sky blue walls, creamy beige carpet. A small stack of boxes in a corner, a table desk on the side… this was _not_ her room. She shook her head to clear the sleepiness. Right, she'd stayed at Namame's. She checked herself over for signs of tampering, but didn't feel strange. A glance at the door handle confirmed that it was still locked. Perhaps not _all_ men were entirely despicable. Combing her fingers through her hair, she got up.

Digging a hairbrush from her bag and running it through her hair a few times, Shi emerged from the guest bedroom. The smell of food was stronger out here; she hadn't imagined it at least. Perhaps her plan of fleeing once she awoke could be put off until after eating. She hadn't been poisoned last night, there was little chance of being poisoned at breakfast. What kind of teacher voluntarily ensures a student doesn't make it to school? She moed towards the kitchen, pushing open the gate to peek in. On the counter were two plates of bacon and eggs, and a… woman? standing at the stove. She tilted her head. That man's hair surely wasn't _that_ long.

"I wasn't aware Namame-sensei had a sister."

"Well good _morning, __**Adachi**_," came a distinctly male growl, pan smacking against the stove top. Shi had to put a hand over her mouth to hide the poorly concealed snort, gold eyes looking at her with a mix of anger and embarrassment. Pulling an elastic off his wrist, Kashii tied his hair back and pulled the last of the bacon out of the pan. See, this is why he kept his hair tied. Even if he liked it long, it made people mistake him as a girl.

"Eat," he said, jutting the spatula at one of the plates on the counter.

After breakfast—Cat made sure to mooch her share of bacon off of Shi—the girl retreated back to the room to get ready for school. She debated if she should even go home tonight. Russell would yell at her for not coming home last night, just like he always did. He gave some semblance of care at times, but his actions always spoke otherwise. Perhaps he felt obligated to at least that much in order to keep the paychecks coming. She didn't care much; he was an irritating buzz at best. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Shi came out to fetch her shoes. Slipping them on, she tapped the toe against the carpet and headed towards the door to leave.

"Hold up," Kashii said, getting up from the table. Shi paused, annoyed at having been stopped from leaving. She turned to see him disappear into the kitchen. When he came back, he tossed something small and silver at her, and she reached to catch it, examining the object in her palm. A key? The clear puzzlement on her face was amusing.

"What is this?"

"Next time you'd rather sleep outside than go home, just drop by here instead."

Slightly nonplussed, Shi looked from the key in her hand to the teacher who sat back at the table to finish putting his class papers in order. It was dangerous to allow a stranger free access to his home, did he not know that? But Namame had treated her kindly, it would be stupid not to take advantage of that kindness when he was offering it so easily to her. A warm bed was nicer than a park bench, and it came with a lock on the door to boot. No unexpected, uninvited visitors into her personal space. No disgusting smells. No pervert pedophile waiting outside her door to pounce her. This wouldn't be the last time she'd crash with Namame.

"Your rough drafts are due at the end at the week. Seeya tomorrow."

With a wave, Kashii sent the last class off at the ring of the bell. This class, perhaps, was the most annoying of all six he had, seconded only by the final class. Lunch hour was next, and the kids were hungry by now. He glanced back at the board, titles of books written down. Kashii had hated essays when he was in school. Now he had the chance to hate them all over again. One-hundred seventy-two 3-5 page essays to read and grade over the weekend would do the trick. It sounded absolutely _fantastic_. But curriculum stated he needed to have an essay once per quarter. At least the books were interesting. Well, in his opinion, anyway.

Locking up his desk and the room, Kashii jingled his keys before pocketing them, heading down the hall. He had an appointment in the science wing; a certain chemistry teacher had flagged him with a note to visit during lunch. He _was_ curious as to what she wanted, but being alone with her would be considered a plus. He'd flirted with a few members of female staff, but the young ones weren't interested, and the older ones were more inclined to hand him a piece of candy and send him on his way than take his bait. Amaya was one of the few interesting ladies on staff.

Reaching her door, Kashii stopped, rapping his knuckles on the thick wooden door. It took a few moments for the door to open, and with a glance upward he was met with lavender eyes. Flashing a shark-toothed grin, Amaya stepped aside to let him into the room. Amaya's teeth were likely her most interesting feature; like his canines they had points, but unlike his, her entire mouth was filled with sharp teeth. It came with the Hozuki name. Like his whole family had the canines, hers probably had the shark teeth. It would be interesting to attend a family reunion, for sure.

Kashii hadn't really poked around the other classrooms before now. The chemistry room was radically different than his classroom; there were six large tables with black tabletops and high stools. An even larger table was built into the front of the room, an assortment of beakers and other… sciency... things adorning it. The back held smaller tables and… was that a shower? The room had an overall smell of cleaner as well. Sitting in a science class would be interesting. Amaya didn't come off as the type who would teach at _all_, so seeing her methods would be a pleasure to view. Speaking of pleasure…

"Nice of you to drop by, new kid."

"I thought we were passed that. What did you need?"

With a purr, she lured him towards the supply office that connected the three science rooms.

"I wanted to explore if we had a little _chemistry_~"

Hoo, looked like _someone_ finally took his bait.

"I'd _love_ to find out~"

"_Rooouuu~_ What did I tell you about making me wait?"

"...not to?"

Rou pressed his back against the whiteboard, the tip of a bamboo shinai sword pressed into the hollow of his throat. Truly, Rou had never met a more forceful woman than Yami Kousei of his fourth period class. The girl's long, violet hair was tied up, the waving pony reminiscent of a cat's tail, quite fitting for the catty personality she had. And this girl had her eyes set on a certain biology teacher: Kagerou Aburame.

At the begining of the year, many students had a healthy fear towards the man for he shared the same name as their Headmistress. But despite the relation to her, it had become quickly apparent that the ginger was in no way similar to his older cousin, Hotaru Aburame. He was clumsy at times and graceful at others, but always friendly if not shy. An odd quirk about him was that he wore dark sunglasses, even on cloudy days, during his classes.

Yami had been the one to remove those classes, hell, just because she wanted to, and exposed his emerald eyes. It was, quite possibly, the most amusing display the teacher had given the students as he attempted to retrieve them. Once the dark glasses disappeared down the front of the girl's shirt, however, he was forced to resign from his pursuit and trudge back to the front of the room. Aburame did not like showing his eyes. And that, perhaps, had been what sparked Yami's interest in him. In her opinion, Rou had the most _dazzling _green eyes, and yet he felt the need to hide them. That just wouldn't do.

But what was the issue today? With one hand, Yami pressed the tip of her sword to Rou's through, in the other hand she spun his shades in her fingers. It had been a year since he'd first met this girl, and yet, she continued to come back. Such a headstrong girl, she got her way when she wanted it, and Rou was easy to push around. What had she been waiting for?

"Exactly. So what have you been doing this passed week?"

"I've had to… I've been busy, Yami."

A violet brow raised.

"That's the best excuse you've got?"

Yami withdrew her sword and leaned it against the marker tray of the board, moving closer to the teacher. He was always so hesitant. Perfectly understandable, and that was one of the many things that made harassing him so fun. But still, it was rude to keep a girl waiting.

"I... that…"

Of course it was. Yami pressed against him, fingertip tracing the rim of his ear and stopping to finger the silver loop that pierced it. For being the head of disciplinary committee, Yami didn't do a good job of following the rules. Rou gripped her waist when she kissed him, trim beard tickling her chin. They should not be doing this. They should not be doing this here.

"You're going to get me fired one of these days."

She tapped his lip.

"I'm eighteen, that's plenty old enough."

That was entirely _not_ the point. But he deserved it. She'd been wanting a lot from him lately. It was about time he obliged.

"Sorry for making you wait."

"I'll expect you over tonight by dinner. You'll stay over again, won't you?"

"Of course."

"How's that reckless boy of mine been?"

Hotaru leaned the phone on her shoulder, looking over the file off the aforementioned "boy."

"He's been doing well. You did well to direct him to me, Narume."

"No signs of him causing trouble?"

Hotaru tapped her fingernails against the desk, listening to the male voice on the other end of the line. If it weren't for his relation to Namame, Hotaru wouldn't talk to Ikasama Narume at _all_. The man was sleazy at best, an enemy of women. But he was smart and a good leader. The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place.

"Other than causing trouble among the females of my staff? Nothing in particular."

"Hahaha… sounds like my nephew all right. Continue to keep an eye on him. Don't let him know anything yet."

Hotaru's crimson eyes narrowed. It seemed everyone in the network knew except Namame.

"Of course not. They ought to call you a fox instead of a wolf; he's an important piece of our puzzle and you want to keep him in the dark. You better know what you're doing, Narume, or I'll take this into my own hands. The only reason you have the reigns is because of your position. Keep that in mind."

A navy-haired man looked at his phone when the click sounded, the dial tone ringing out. Hotaru was always a hassle to deal with. She was like a snake, ready to poison you with her fangs with lightning precision. But she was a valuable asset, and that was the only reason Ika got involved with her at all. Powerful allies were necessary for the upcoming war. It was only a matter of time. His nephew had to learn on his own. It was, essentially, Kashii's problem.

With a sigh, Ika turned his gold eyes to the woman at his side. A little rough around the edges and definitely not a woman who was worth having on the menu, Cecily was a butch dishwater-blonde girl, and fought as good as any man. To this day, although the girl was smaller than he was, Ika had never once won a practice fight against her.

"Cecily," Ika said, meeting her hazel eyes, "Tell the mutts what's going on. We need more eyes. Aburame says Garrett's causing more trouble, things will get out of hand soon. The only threat in that idiot's eyes is Kashii. Until it's time, we need to keep him in check."

Tracing a crescent around her eye from the brow to the cheekbone, Cecily smiled in acknowledgement.

"Will do, boss."

Returning the gesture, Ika sent her off. He shook his head. Just what have the new mutts fallen to?

_ 'Damnit, Kashii, what have you done?'_

It had been several days since Adachi had stayed at his place. Classes were as they had always been, though he spared an extra glance towards the girl now and then as he taught. She was a troublesome child, and clearly something wasn't right at home. If more problems arose Kashii had half a mind to visit there himself. He'd already needed to step forward for Dana Smith in the third row; thankfully it was only a temporary problem and he'd helped her contact her aunt until the feud between her parents subsided.

Speaking of troublesome children, this morning was one of those mornings where, yet again, Adachi and Miller were late. It was hardly a contest to figure out what the two were up to, but they didn't show until halfway through the first period of social studies. The sounds of yelling in the hallway alerted him to the location of his missing students, and he sighed, placing the chalk into the chalk tray.

"Be back in a moment, class. Got a pair of idiots who need taken care of."

It wouldn't be the first time he'd needed to break the two up. It was always in this wing, too. No one else had the balls to get between them; usually they were left to duke it out. It was amusing, either way, to see how the small girl held her own against the brute. But, at the end of the day, she was still a girl. Kashii was the only teacher in this department who _did _have the balls to get between them.

The silence rose from a dull hum to a loud buzz, and there was a scraping of chairs against the floor as many students got up to follow. Fights were always amusing to watch, and lately sensei would go to break them up, something no one had ever bothered to do before. And there they were, in all their glory. Kashii wasn't exactly sure what had spurred the fight, but more than anything, it was the _girl_ who looked the most enraged. Aw, did Miller step out of line? Shame on him.

Despite her small size, Shi was surprisingly able to hold her own against the larger male. Fingers curved like talons, teeth bared like an animal, she had her own natural weapons; the blood that marred Devon's skin attested to that. But he had sheer size and brute force. His knuckles were bruised from narrowly missing her head and colliding into the tiled floor. Her own skin was bruised from when he _didn't_ miss. Kashii didn't know what started it, but it was certainly one of the worst he'd seen between the two.

However, what he did know, is that he had to intercept _now_. Adachi was on the losing side, and Miller had her pulled up by the collar of her shirt. A fist that size hitting her skull could do damage, and Kashii advanced quickly diving between them to shove them apart. The result was instantaneous. The punch aimed for Adachi's skull missed entirely, and the student's large hand went across the teacher's chest. The _tak_ of buttons popping was heard, Kashii barely avoiding the hit. The _clack_ of metal coming loose followed immediately. In response to the punch that was supposed to come, the girl's hand shot out to block, only to be tangled in the loose ball-chain. Gripping it, she yanked back for the mere sake of tearing something, _anything_, off the aggressor.

Caught off-guard by his neck being yanked, Kashii failed to dodge the second fist that collided with his skull. The chain broke when Kashii was jarred by the impact, and the teacher's teeth audibly clacked together. Only silence followed, the entire procession happening in no less than three seconds; both students finally realizing who'd gotten between them. Kashii shook his head, trying to stall the ringing.

"Nice hook, kid. Allow me to return the _**favor**_."

A small, strong hand collided with Devon's jaw before the final syllable left Kashii's mouth, knocking the larger male away and onto his back. Shi lay beneath the teacher, hand still fisted around small metal tags. She took a moment to examine just _what_ she'd torn off. _'Namame, Kashii M.'_ it read. Some numbers followed, along with an acronym she _did_ know. At least half of it, anyway. _'USMC LCPL.' _Switching it with her thumb, the second tag was gold, embossed with the same USMC and the insignia of the Corp. itself. Before she had a chance to examine more, the chain was ripped forcefully, and _painfully_, from her grip by a sensei who certainly did not match the jovial man she was used to.

_ "Fuckin' kids..." _he growled.

Standing, Kashii pocketed the dogtags, rubbing his head.

"Which of you little _shits_ wants to do me the honor of escorting Sir Fucknuts and Princess Pissant to the headmistress?"

Devon wanted to be pissed. Really, he did. But that guy had taken one of his best blows and hadn't even broken a sweat. There was no smile. Those yellow eyes and sharp teeth of Namame-sensei looked more like a wolf ready to bite into him than the chickenshit he was used to standing at the front of class. Shi, however, caught interest despite the insult. "Princess Pissant" will have to pay sensei another visit tonight to learn a little more about those tags of his. Naturally, when no one volunteered, Kashii pointed to Tyrone.

"They're all yours, big guy. The rest of you, back to your seats. Class isn't over."

Kashii shot a glance to the students who had peeked out from the other classrooms. Whatever, they weren't _his_ responsibility. Kashii plucked at his shirt. It hung open now, the top two buttons having been popped off from Miller's meaty hand. Lovely. He blinked, rubbing his head, and stared back at the students who were still staring at him. Ah, shit, forgot the 'nice guy' act. With his hands, he shooed the kids back into the room and closed the door behind him. Getting involved in fights was never good, mostly because he had a tendency to get _involved_. Hitting people was fun, and when the flesh under his knuckles gave a _crunch_, it was a most _gratifying_ sound. Unfortunately that was not a good idea when the other combatants were underage high school students. At one time, fuck yeah, but not anymore.

Kashii fingered the tags in his pocket when he returned to the front of the board. Adachi had broken the chain; he'd need to buy a new one on his way home. Since his discharge, Kashii never took off his dogtags. Ever. With the lack of feeling the metal on his chest, he felt somewhat naked. It would just be for a day, but the more pressing problem was the shirt that hung open. He may take a visit down to home ec at lunch break to get new buttons. Adjusting himself, the bluenette continued the lesson otherwise unperturbed.

Gin looked up from his checklist when he heard a knock at the door. Now who could that be? There were few souls who bothered to bother, no, _visit_ him during lunch period. Nibbling on one of the leftover bear claws from last period, he set it down on the plate.

"Come in."

The large man rest an elbow on the desk when a small male entered. Was that a student? No, he was wearing the teacher uniform. When he stood to greet the stranger, the two regarded each other.

"You must ve Namame-sensei."

Kashii took a wobbling step backward, craning his neck upward to meet the eyes of this mountain of a man. The fates were cruel to a little guy. There were few who intimidated the diminutive teacher, but Gin sure fit the bill. He'd heard the teacher's name and had seen a picture, but their classrooms were on different floors. They had no reason to cross each other, and Gin _never_ went to the faculty room.

"... I take it you're the home ec teacher."

"Da. What brings you here?"

Kashii plucked at his shirt.

"Need a few small white buttons. Got any?"

Gin looked over the smaller male, examining the shirt. Yeah, he had a jar full of odd buttons. There should be a couple that would match the shirt. It wouldn't be the first time someone came along looking for a patch job. Unfortunately, Gins big hands had a little trouble sewing on such small buttons. He usually demonstrated using large coat buttons. Cheating, perhaps, but the students learned regardless, and that was the only thing that mattered, and what kept the paychecks coming.

Beckoning Kashii to follow him through the door that led to the sewing room, Gin fished out the button jar and a large pan from a cabinet, then spilled a good amount into the pan. Sifting through the buttons, both males searched until two matching buttons had been found. Hunting for a needle and some white thread, Gin came back and gestured for Kashii to give him the shirt. Instead, Kashii shook his head.

"Nah, I got it. Gimmie."

Finding a table to sit on, Kashii crossed his legs, licking the thread and threading the needle. He'd sewn on buttons a thousand times. In the bunks he'd usually get landed with that job due to his small, nimble fingers. It wasn't as if it was a shitty skill to know, so he didn't have much of a problem with it. Unless there was no button to sew on and he was expected to fix it. Then the other guy could go fuck himself or get a rock sewn on. Mundane skills always came in handy. Pulling the shirt off, he began sewing the buttons, and tried to make idle conversation.

"Word is you have a monstrous beast living in your house. There's always some truth behind rumors, and I gotta say, I'm curious."

Gin paused, knitting his snowy brows. Just when he was ready to leave, too. Well, normally he _would_ just leave, but that was an imbalance that needed correcting.

"Is that vhat they're saying? She's not a beast, she's a cat. A big cat. Vell behaved, too."

"Oh? I happen to have a pretty big cat at home, too."

Interest sparked, Gin fell back, moving to lean against a table nearby Kashii.

"Vhat kind is he?"

"She. A thirty pound Savannah. The litterbox is hell to clean. How about yours?"

Gin tilted his head; although that information amused him his face didn't show.

"Sirty pounds? A heavy vun." Kashii nodded in agreement. "Mine's only about a hundred. Try having a cougar. Now _zat_ is a litterbox."

_"Ow!"_

Kashii hissed, momentarily sucking the thumb he'd pricked, then shook his hand and resumed sewing. This man didn't seem to be the type to be shitting him. That accent sounded much too serious, as did his face.

"Shit, is it even legal to _own_ a cougar? How did you get her?"

Gin tapped a finger against the edge of the table, reminiscing. On a hunting expedition, he'd shot a cougar. It turned out it was the mother of a kitten, and even he didn't have the heart to kill the kitten. Instead, he smuggled the creature into his coat and took it home. The mother's pelt was sold, but he felt slight guilt towards the kitten, and got a proper liscense to care for her. He named her Ekaterina, but she was more commonly called Katya.

"I found her ven I was hunting. There vas no mother, so I took her myself."

Finishing the second button, Kashii nipped the thread with his teeth and began slipping the shirt back on, grinning at the large man.

"If you ever have a show-and-tell, lemme know. I'd love to make a class trip to your room; would make my day to scare the shit outta my kids."

Alright, that one _almost_ earned a smile. He gave a slight nod.

"I'll ve sure to."

When Kashii got home, he wanted nothing more than to flop down on the couch. At the end of the day he'd needed to break up a second fight, and after school, Aburame had called him to her office. Probably regarding the bruised jaw he'd given Miller. Kid totally deserved it though. She agreed with him on that mark, but he'd still stepped out of line. If he was to do it again, then don't do it in front of so many eyes.

So flop he did, fiddling with the new chain he had bought. The two tags made a pleasant _clinking_ sound as he pulled them off the old chain, fiddling with the new one. It was a bright and shiny silver; the old one had become a weathered old grey. The new one was titanium, break _that_, why don't you. Before he could finish stringing them, however, a heavy weight pounced onto his back from who-the-fuck-knows-where, claws extended.

_ "MROW!"_

"Get _off _of me you little _shit_!" Kashii snarled, flinging the heavy beast halfway across the room. Yes, yes, he'd forgotten to feed her before he left this morning. But first order of business was cutting those daggers growing out of those paws. Suddenly turning this all into a game, Cat danced out of his reach every time he tried grabbing her, and the game of tag ended with Kashii diving onto her, pinning her squirming body to the floor, and lifting her under the arms to haul her off to the bedroom where the clippers were.

At least Cat was mostly well-behaved when it came to getting her nails done. That, however, came with the promise of cat treats, because a large cat like her misbehaving while getting nails cut would mean lots of blood on Kashii's end. When she was finally finished and treats administered, he leaned back on his bed, gazing at the rifle on the wall. M40A3, his baby back in the day, little more than a wall decoration now. Perhaps he could play with it a little. He had time before he headed out at five. Moving over to it, he lifted it off the rack, leaving and passing it onto the dining table before disappearing into the kitchen where his noisy pet was waiting to be fed. Once that was done, he cut up half a potato for Rufus as well.

He hadn't taken apart his rifle in a long time. Crouching to dig under the sink, he found his old cloth and cleaner spray, and left to start taking it apart piece by peice. It was still clean from disuse, but dust had made its way into all the parts. Clicking the magazine off first—he always kept it loaded, just in case—he set to work dismantling it, keeping Cat at bay once she finished her meal. She began investigating the source of attention, which, of course, was not on her, therefore this needed to be corrected, and she became a yoyo of fur as she continually jumped onto the table only to be knocked off again.

Despite the feline's distractions, he managed to completely dismantle, clean each part, and reconstruct the gun. Despite automatic being more useful, Kashii liked the bolt-action, and cocked it, pulling the trigger to ensure it clicked the way it was supposed to. A few rounds rolled out of the magazine on the table. He'd considered once altering a couple to use as decoration, purely to give them a use once more, but decided better of it. The ammunition for one of these wasn't exactly cheap. Satisfied, he stood, pointing the gun at the front door and aiming at the eyehole, ensuring the sights were lined up properly.

Of course. Of course it was closed. Of course there was a power outage. The library had closed due to some problems with the breakers, and the librarians had absolutely _no clue_ as to what they were doing to fix it. Therefore, they had closed the library for the remainder of the day. The main library was a bit far to walk, and home was not a place she wanted to be. Even if Russell wasn't home, there wasn't much to do there. Glancing down at the slash in her palm, it occurred to her that she could visit sensei. She hadn't planned to until later, but it wasn't as if she had something better to do.

It had been night when he'd taken her, and it was day now. Things looked different during the day, she wasn't sure if he could find the complex. Wandering towards the park, she attempted to retrace the path they took the other night. When she was sure she found it, she looked up at the building. Four floors, red brick, black iron banisters. Not bad, Teach. Which floor, which door. She glanced down at the key she'd been supplied with, tied on a cord around her neck. Apartment 204.

Coming up to the building told her the first floor was 100's, meaning it was on the second floor. Disappointed at the lack of elevator, Shi took the stairs instead, reaching the second floor and counting the numbers on the doors. 201…202…203…204. Second floor, last door on the left. Easy enough to find. Turning the knob revealed the door to be unlocked, and she pushed it open, only to find a very large green rifle aimed directly at her head. Hearing a clicking sound, she startled and dropped her bag, only to see her teacher behind it, lowering the gun.

"You're lucky this isn't loaded."

Catching her breath, Shi retrieved her bag from the floor, looking from the rifle to the man who held it, and smirked.

"Compensating for something, sensei?"

"... _Really_ lucky it isn't loaded."

Pulling the trigger to disarm, Kashii locked the magazine back in place, clicking on the safety mechanism. There was always a chance of accidental discharge, but with no one around to mess with it, there wouldn't be an issue. Unless the girl was around when he wasn't home.

"Ah, damnit. I had plans today. Hope you brought a change of clothes, you're coming with me."

He wasn't going to leave her alone in his home, though that would inevitably happen at some point since she had a key. Perhaps he should have told her to just knock instead. If anything unfavorable happens he could just take his key back. Shi looked at him unhappily. Well, she supposed going out would be more entertaining then lounging around here all evening. It did happen she brought a change of clothes; she planned on coming this time around.

"Fine."

"Get dressed then, we're leaving soon."

When she left to the guest room to change, Kashii hunted for his phone, dailing. An extra player would always be fun. He grinned when the click of Dai answering sounded.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, Dai? Got an extra player joining us tonight. Bring more drinks."

"Who'd you manage to drag along? Someone from school?"

"Something like that."

Hanging up, Kashii slipped his phone in his pocket, pulling loose the tight knot he usually wore at the back of his head to replace it with a simple pony. He didn't need to wear the knot anymore, but it had become an ingrained habit from needing to wear it like that every day for four years. Was easier to wear a cap when the knot wasn't there. Grabbing an extra tie, he flicked it at the girl when she came out of the room, wearing a simple tshirt and jeans. She caught it.

"Must you _throw_ everything at me?"

"Yes. Now tie your hair, it'll get in the way."

Shi examined the hairtie then promptly discarded it, digging her own out of her bag. Who knew what kind of things that tie has seen. Holding it in her teeth, she pulled her hands behind her head, forming a long, tight braid, and tied off the end.

"Where, exactly, are we going?"

"Ever played baseball?"

"No?"

"Good. This should be fun then. Let's go."


	9. Chapter 7

_ CRACK!_

The sound of a bat connecting with a baseball not inches from her head was earsplitting. Baseball? Really? Hit the ball and run. That's all she knew. And yet Namame expected her to hit balls that were being shot at her by a machine. At best she was barely protecting herself with the bat, and the three boys accompanying her could barely contain the laughter at her efforts.

"She doesn't look like a co-worker, Kash."

"Naw, what gave it away?"

Daichi was skeptical at first. When Kashii had told him he was bringing an extra player, he though maybe a friend from work. But a girl? She was one of the students in his class, right? The hell was he doing with a schoolgirl after hours? Had his reasons, Dai was sure, but still…

Another crack, and laughter sounded again. Shi could feel her face beginning to turn red. Did he bring her here to humiliate her? Asshole. When a ball collided with her shoulder from a missed block, Kashii decided to step in. Amusing as it was, _she_ certainly wasn't having fun.

"C'mere, let me show you how."

Shi considered for a moment bashing the teacher's head with the bat when he stepped into the cage with her, but thought better of it. Smashing things as hard as she could with a baseball bat could be fun, assuming she knew how to actually hit it. Relinquishing her bat to the man beside her, he had her step back and cracked the bat across a ball, where it smacked into the chainlink fence above the pitching machine. Afterward he jogged towards it, clicking it off before Shi got pelted again, then returned to her.

"First of all, you look like you're trying to club someone's skull in, not hit a ball."

Handing it back, he positioned her hands in the right place. Shi moved the bat around in a mock swing. It did feel easier this way. She watched him make practice swings with an invisible bat, and copied the motions.

"Got that down? Afterwards comes hitting the ball. Clichéd maybe, but keep your eye on the ball. Aim for the center of it."

He stroked his hand up the bat, as if feeling for a specific place, and stopped about six inches from the tip.

"You wanna try to hit the ball close to the end of the bat, about here. It'll fly farther."

There was a whistle from Danny.

"You be sure and teach her _exactly_ how to hold your bat, Kash!"

Kashii gave a sigh. Despite wanting to tell him to fuck off, he decided to be the better man and brush it off.

"But you're free to club _him_ with it, Adachi."

Shi snorted, moving the bat to her shoulder, waiting for him to turn the pitching machine back on. She swung when the first ball came at her, missing it entirely, growling when it bounced off the cage. She swung at the next ball, and clipped it with the tip of the bat. It flew in a crooked arc, and collided spectacularly into her teacher's head. With a loud yelp, he tottered back into the chainlink fence, and dropped to a crouch, clutching his head. Immediately dropping her bat, Shi bent in laughter, the other two males joining the chorus. When the stars stopped dancing so brightly, Kashii cursed the three of them.

"Burn in hell, the lot of yeh," he said, exiting her cage this time, leaving her to her own devices. "Pretend you're crushing skulls after all. That'll help your aim; you seem to be good at that much."

Stealing a cold water from the small cooler, Kashii pressed it against the bump on his head, wincing.

"You alright, bud?" asked Danny.

"God _damn_ that hurt," he laughed.

"Looked like it," said Daichi.

"Go practice some swings, I'll play in a minute. Let's go to the field once she starts hitting the pitches."

Shi couldn't hear the conversation over the sounds of the bat whistling in the air, missing balls, clipping others. Pretend they're heads, huh? When the face of Shinji appeared in the next ball that flew, she hit it dead-center, and it flew and crashed into the top of the cage. Following that were whistles and 'Way to go, Adachi!' Well, that made it _much_ easier. Shinji. _CRACK_. Russell. _CRACK_. Devon. _CRACK_. Namame. _CRACK_. Kate. _CRACK._ Alex. _MISS._ She growled, rolling her shoulder. Oh well. Alex hadn't been the worst guardian she'd had. Having had her fill of pitches, Shi left the batting cage, getting a water from the cooler. It was somewhat fun, she supposed. She glanced towards the bluenette. Like he needed to lose any _more_ brain cells as it was.

The rest of the evening was spent on the field. Kashii pitched, Dan batted, Daichi and Shi outfield. Rotating out now and then revealed Kashii to be the worst batter on the team. That was probably why his friends let him do the teaching. At least it worked. When the sun started going down, the four split paths, Shi following Kashii.

"Have fun?" Kashii finally asked.

"You could call it that. But the bill of your cap poking my leg was rather distracting."

Kashii's eyes narrowed.

"You know, you're not much taller yourself. Knock it off."

"Last I checked, it's socially acceptable for a woman to be of my height."

The rest of the walk home was filled with banter, the girl amused with how easily she could rub him the wrong way. Kashii was on the verge of sending her off someplace else out of sheer annoyance, but the unfriendly ice queen had decided of her own violation to grace him with her presence. Probably needed a place to crash again. Tomorrow he'd have to look up her records and find a phone number. Dropping by sparingly would be okay, but if she made a habit of coming to his place often, it would inevitably cause trouble. His buddies were already suspicious that he had her with him in the first place.

"You're late."

"I'm _positive _you told me seven."

"I decided to start at five."

"..."

Rou sighed, entering Yami's apartment when she opened the door. The girl lived alone; she'd lost her parents in a train accident when she was twelve. At sixteen she moved to her own place, siphoning money from a relative until she could work after school herself.

"Did you bring Puffs too?"

From around Rou's feet came a small brown tabby with a green kerchief tied around her neck. Yami absolutely loved Puffs, and since the cat lived in the biology lab, Rou had to take her home at night. She had a habit of peeing on everything if she wasn't by his side. Thank the gods his cousin, the Headmistress, was understanding.

"Of course."

Puffs darted in when the door opened, bumping heads with the black cat she was met with inside. Sayuri, the black cat, was a yearling now. She was born as one of four kittens from Puffs, and the two darted off deeper into the threshold to have their own fun.

"I made Puffs's favorite, spaghetti. Though I'm sure she prefers yours."

"I'm sure she won't be picky, I haven't made meatballs in a while now."

With a laugh, Yami pulled Rou into a hug. It wasn't often they were allowed to have personal time. Even though they saw each other every day at school, interacting properly would have been a taboo that _would_ get him fired. Yami's birthday was in November, she'd be nineteen soon. They'd been in a relationship for over a year now. She'd been complacent for a while with hugs and kisses, but since her eighteenth birthday she'd been wanting more than just that from him. She was graduating this year, then she wouldn't be his student anymore. But she was pushy and always got her way in the end.

Yami was a good influence on the Aburame, really. He was much too reserved, didn't like talking to people much. Teaching wasn't much of an interacting job most of the time, it involved relaying information to a mob as a whole, occasionally asking questions. Dissecting animals now and then. In mid-september, they'd dissected frogs that the students caught themselves. In december they were to do birds, which would be supplied by an outside source. Not everyone can catch a bird. But the cities had plenty of pigeons to spare.

That was, of course, assuming that the crazy Hozuki didn't bomb his class _again_. Amaya seemed to enjoy screwing with him. Last year, the feathers from the birds mysteriously found themselves decorating every flat surface in the room, quills poking out from the ceiling, stuffed inside drawers. 'HAVE FUN BUGBOY' had been spelled out in flight feathers on the whiteboard, which left little choices as to who had done it. The entirety of homeroom into second period had been spent collecting all of the feathers, and he ended up spending the rest of the day issuing study period for the classes. That had been one of the worse pranks the woman had played on him.

Thankfully, Kagerou was distracted from his thoughts by the girl kissing him again, beckoning him to come to the kitchen for dinner. A yowl distracted both of them, and they looked to the living room where two flashes, one brown and one black, streaked across the carpet into another room. The cats were playing too rough, it seemed.

Days had passed since the baseball incident. The tender bump on Kashii's head had _finally_ disappeared. The leaves on the trees had all become a brilliant red and orange by now; it was already into October. Kashii's hands were in the pockets of his jacket, fingering a stray pen in one of the pockets. Adachi had finally assed herself to return it to him after the other night.

It was a cool night. All the better to be indoors. Today he'd chosen a harder drink to match the pounding music and flashing lights. It was bitter, but it gave a satisfying burn. Kashii sat perched on a stool by a table, taking a break from the fun and enjoying his drink. He wasn't even sure what it was; bartender's favorite. Strong, but unless he was in a strawberry mood, that's the way he liked it. His eyes scanned the crowd that was dancing, looking for his pick of the night.

His gold eyes eventually fell on a particular woman dancing alone in a sea of people. She stood at the edge, a drink in hand, spilling a bit now and then from the movements of the people around her. Curly blonde hair, tight pink dress. A hottie for sure. Even if he _couldn't_ reel this one in, there were plenty of other fish simply _waiting_ to take the bait in this crowd, especially when many of the girls had just a little too much to drink. It didn't matter who, really. He'd likely not see her again after tonight, and that was more preferable, really. He swirled his drink, waiting for the right moment.

When the girl finally did look his way, be it coincidence or not, Kashii raised an arm, beckoning and setting the glass on the table behind him. It took her a moment to notice _him_ specifically, and she glanced around, seeing if he was looking for someone else. When no one else seemed to be paying attention, she looked back and he beckoned again, so she walked over.

She was bathed in greens and pinks from the neon lights when she approached. He waved in a little friendlier fashion when she came close, and he smiled at her.

"Hey!"

"Hey… you wanted me?"

Kashii noticed the smile on her lips. So far so good. He leaned forward, trying to get closer to her face. The music was always loud, and even close you need to yell to be heard. From sitting on the tall stool, he was at least eye level.

"I can't help but notice you're alone tonight. Wanna head out for a little more fun?"

She moved a half step back, sizing him up, and a little smirk crossed her features. She leaned in close, closer to his ear.

"Are you even old enough to be in here, kid?"

She looked 21 at best. He dipped his head at the comment, a smile on his lips. It wasn't an uncommon statement. A hand on her face, Kashii leaned closer to her ear.

"I'm likely older than you are, sweetheart. Being small doesn't make me any less fun." He leaned back slightly to brush against her lips with a purr. "'Sides, not _all_ of me is small."

Her lips tasted of lipstick and drink. But it wasn't set in stone that the hunt was successful. He'd still need to lure her out. His place? Her place? Perhaps a cheap motel for the night. Depended on how eager she would be and whichever was closest. He'd met a few who were okay with dragging him to the side of the building, or even at the back of the dance floor where no one would be looking. Those were the fun ones that usually got more than one visit. Now what kind of girl would this one be? She didn't mind his touch when his hands slid down her back, feeling around the curves of her ass and pulling her hips against him on the stool.

"What kind of 'fun' did you have in mind?"

"Let's get out of here and I'll be _happy_ to show you."

Thank god it was a Friday night. It was late, it _had _to be around three. It had been a good night. Sufficiently drunk and a rowdy girl, he'd have to say it was a success. Scraping his key against the lock until it fell in place, he pushed his way into his dark apartment. Or, at least, it was _supposed _to be dark. He hadn't left any lights on, and the kitchen was brightly lit. Abandoning the open door, Kashii tread lightly, moving forward. Pulling an iron wolf decoration from the wall, he moved towards the kitchen, ready to club the intruder.

Pushing open the saloon doors that marked the entrance, he was met not with a thief but with a small violet-eyed girl rummaging his refrigerator, a piece of bacon hanging from her lips. They stared wide-eyed at each other, regarding the other's appearance. Adachi looked as if she'd crawled out of bed for a midnight snack, and had attempted to ransack half his kitchen, judging by how half the cabinets were hanging open. He himself was disheveled, kiss marks on his neck, and the distinct stink of cheap perfume.

"This is gonna get old."

The girl twirled the key in her fingers.

"Not my fault you trust strangers."

She backed away from the fridge when he approached her, depositing the iron wolf on the counter. He was clearly not sober.

"Gimmie that key."

"Stay away from me."

Shi cursed when she backed against the wall, trapped like an animal. The kitchen wasn't especially wide when you took the counterspace into account. Still, she didn't quite want to relinquish it. He'd given it to her, therefore it was _hers_, and he'd given her permission to come whenever she damn well pleased because of it. So what reason would he have to take it away from her? Probably some dumb one that seemed perfectly acceptable to his clouded mind. If he took it, there was a chance he'd give it back. But then, things never work out favorably for her.

Shi was all but ready to crush his balls with a knee when he leaned over her, reaching for the key she was dangling as high over his head as she could. Granted, he could easily reach it, but making him stand on his toes was worth it. Surprisingly, it seemed he had zero interest in her when she flung it into the rat's cage, the ugly pink creature toddling out to investigate this new object, and wriggled away, fleeing out the open door. She leaned against the rail at the end of the walk. Her things were in the guestroom. Damnit.

Even inebriated, Namame appeared to have zero interest in her personally, he'd only been interested in retrieving the key. Although judging by his state when he'd gotten home, it appeared he had better people to fuck than her. Maybe he just didn't find her attractive. Either way, Shi supposed that was a good thing. It offered her a little feeling of safety that she hadn't received at any other foster home. The most pursuit he had given was to go close the door behind her. She hadn't heard the lock, though.

It was quiet and dark inside. It appeared he had gone to bed. Good. She made her way back to the kitchen, flipping on the light. Aside from the closed refrigerator, it was as dismantled as she had left it. A peek into the rat's cage told her that the key had indeed been fetched. Well damn. Did that mean she wasn't allowed back here anymore? He'd left the door unlocked though, which meant one of two things: Either he was allowing her to come back in, or he'd been too drunk to give a shit. Either way, she wandered back to lock it once she'd found a package of crackers to snack on, and headed to bed herself, locking the door behind her and shoving the wedge underneath.

Again, nothing had changed. Classes went on as always, but she skipped less. Perhaps it would keep him off her back. The Saturday morning after, she'd found the key on the table again, with a little note in neat handwriting underneath,_ 'Sorry. Won't happen again.'_ It occurred to the girl that the teacher got under her skin less. At least, his very existence didn't grate against her nerves. Perhaps it was the foreign kindness he'd shown her. No one else was _ever_ kind to her. More often than not, she'd even push people away. But that idiot didn't seem to have a lick of care. Was he like that towards everyone? There was nothing extraordinary about Shizuka Adachi. There was no reason for him to extend such strange kindness only to her.

With that logic set firmly in mind, Shi placed her belongings into her bag, and stood, fishing out a cigarette and heading towards the door. She didn't smoke, no, but it fit the image other students had of her, and was somewhat of a barrier to keep others at bay. Before she made it to the door, however, a piece of chalk collided with her temple. Ah, of course.

"Sit _down_, Adachi. Fifteen more minutes and you're free."

Kotone sat at the back of the room next to Shi's empty seat, chewing her nails and watching the procession blankly. There was something she was forgetting, what was it, what was it… her aqua eyes fell to the writing on the top right of the board. Well, as close to the top as it could get. Sensei was funny when he stretched to write! Kotone wondered sometimes if she should write for him. But her handwriting wasn't that good, he'd only get mad and throw chalk… Oh right! She was getting distracted again. Midterms were coming up soon! In two weeks all the classes would be having their hard tests. Kotone hated those tests. Sometimes she'd forget to study or walk into the wrong room or… no wait, sometimes she still walked into the wrong room. How is she supposed to know? To Kotone, all the classrooms on this floor except the science rooms.

Kotone loved science most. Ayama-sensei was all _BOOM _and _SWOOSH_ and there was pretty fire and shiny glass and strange smells! Sometimes she wanted to taste some of the potions the teacher made. They were pretty colors and surely they tasted as good as they looked! But after she tried the first time, it had appeared that that sort of thing was frowned upon, especially when Amaya-sensei had to make Kotone throw up the red chemically stuff that most certainly did not taste like cherry.

Oh right! The midterms! What would be on the test, she wondered. Hopefully things that were easy. Sometimes she'd get some of the boys to share notes with her. They were surprisingly easy to convince, she had no idea why. She simply asked and they were always fluttery and melty and quick to share. Perhaps she had natural charm, like Namame-sensei or Makoto-sensei. That _had_ to be it. It took her a while to realize her name was being called. A glance around showed that Shizu-chan had succeeded in escaping, and looking to the front of the room revealed a sensei looking straight at her. Oh no! Had she messed up? She messed up again, didn't she? Perhaps if she asked him nicely, he'd forgive her. Asking people things always made them nice to her.

"Kotone. You've been staring at the ceiling for the last five minutes. I doubt there's anything that interesting up there."

There were a few giggles from classmates, whom were looking towards the aqua-haired girl. Oh no! She looked around frantically, aqua pigtails bouncing. They were all definitely looking at her.

"Sooorrryyy! It won't happen again, I promise!"

"Good. Now read the passage that covers what we were discussing."

"Ah.. ah! Right…" Kotone looked around at her page. Which one, which one? She'll have to just pick one. "The economy has varied greatly over the years. The stock...market…"

Kotone's voice died down when she heard more giggling. That was the wrong one, wasn't it? She pouted, knowing that sensei was making her read because she had a momentary lapse in attention span. The boy next to her, Kori Kownacki, leaned over and flipped the page in the textbook for her, pointing to the paragraph she was supposed to read.

"On the next page," he whispered, "it's this one."

Thanking him, Kotone read off the correct paragraph. Gee, she didn't even have to ask! People were so nice, Kotone loved school. It was much better than being at home. Lady and Jirou wouldn't be happy if she got bad grades again. She had to be a good girl for mama and papa! They weren't her real mama and papa, though. Vaguely, Kotone remembered a mama. Not what she looked like, or her voice… did she really remember a mama? What would mama do if she got a bad grade? Hit her? Jirou liked to hit her. Lady was nicer. She only poured stuff on Kotone's head sometimes. That at least could wash out when they let her shower.

Ooohh right the midterms.

"You're a fun little toy, you know?"

"Come now, I'm not some plaything."

"But you're so fun to play with."

"So is everyone _else_ on your radar."

"This _is_ true…"

Amaya rubbed her chin all sage-like. Everyone _was_ fun to fuck with, but some more than others. Perhaps she'd give that old school doctor a visit. He seemed to need some loosening up. Amaya looked around the interior of his apartment when Kashii let her in, letting out a low whistle. Not bad, kid. Moving her eyes forward, she bumped into her mini-date, looking at what he was looking at. Across from them, sitting at the table, sat Shi, munching on a peanut butter sandwich. She gave a little wave in greeting.

"Welcome home, Teach."

Aw fuck. Now how was he supposed to explain that?

"Oooh girl, what did I tell you about breaking and entering?"

"Don't get caught?"

"Damn straight 'don't get caught.'"

Kashii looked from Shi to Amaya, and rubbed his temples. Clearly there was little need to explain, however it seemed his plans for the night got cancelled. He really should have_ kept_ that key.

"Perhaps I ought to see you home, Amaya."

"Home? After I came all this way just for you?" She glanced up to Shi, who continued to nonchalantly munch her sandwich. There was another shark-toothed grin. "Why not a threesome? What do you say, Shi?"

"Sure, I'm game."

No. Full stop. Kashii crossed his arms in decline.

"_No_. No. Go home, both of you."

Shi smirked at the display.

"But you were so compliant last night, S_ensei._"

"I—you. What. No. Fuck."

Kashii found himself knocked forward so that Amaya could enter into the house. Shi finished her sandwich with a smirk, rubbing the crumbs from her fingers. It was satisfying to learn she'd ruined some fun plans for him. Amaya leaned her folded arms across the back of Kashii's shoulders. She had a pretty good idea that the girl was just giving her teacher a hard time, but why had she not been informed of this arrangement? He grunted in annoyance, entirely unsure of what to do right now. Amaya was clearly not going to leave. It seemed neither was Shi. It was late.

"Well, where's the grand tour? Why not add dinner to the bill?"

He sighed, pulling away from Amaya's grip. May as well. If he goes along with the woman, perhaps she won't rat him out to Aburame. But he ain't cooking. Some cold sandwiches out to be satisfying enough. If the woman was staying over, Kashii didn't especially know what to do with her. The bed Shi was using was barely big enough for a second person, and while his bed was, he didn't want either girl unattended in his room. Too much stuff to get into that require _adult _supervision, which didn't apply to _either_ female. Maybe they could duke it out over who gets the bed, and the loser gets the couch. He left Shi to deal with Amaya so that he could fix sandwiches. There was ham and cheese, lettuce too. That would do. If she didn't like it she could make her own food.

Well, this night would turn out more interesting than he thought it would be.


	10. Chapter 8

Today was a lazy day. There was no doubt about it. Stealing Destiny Jackson as a helper from the front row, Kashii sat crosslegged on his desk, reading off notecards. Today was a game of jeopardy to help study for the midterms. Destiny stood at the board, erasing the called tiles. The final category was filled with questions the students themselves had written.

"And History for 300… what year was the Women's Liberation Movement?" His gold eyes scanned for the first raised hand. "... Devon?"

"1962."

"No. Deduct 300 points from Team Red, Destiny."

The girl erased the score and subtracted 300 from the overall score. She got the best gig out of all the students: She wasn't in any of the teams, so she automatically took the winning score for playing teacher's pet today. Some of Team Red were frantically raising their hands just to be before Devon without even being sure they knew the answer. It was the only thing that was keeping them out of the red. Kashii called on the second hand that raised.

"Tyler?"

"1967?"

"Good! 300 points to team Allstars."

Allstars? Really? Well, whatever. The class had been split into three groups, and they each came up with their own name. Allstars, Red, and Beaters. Fucking random, these children. But hey, they were having fun, and was working well. This was a game Allanah had suggested he try, and it was working out well. The kids were learning through trivia and having fun at the same time. Doing this all day meant no homework, no lectures. Fun and lazy, and the winners get a prize of 20 extra points on the midterm, which will give quite a boost to those who get lower grades. Can anyone say "incentive?" Even Miller and Adachi were on-board. Adachi was supplying a good amount of correct answers for team Beaters. Miller, however, was a rotting cavity of confident wrong answers for team Red.

At the back of Team Red sat an aqua-haired girl who was slightly panicked. Mama and Papa would be so mad at her if she didn't pass again… Hopefully they wouldn't take her meals away again. Kotone hated it when they took her meals from her. She'd long since outgrown trying to eat dirt like when she was little, but birds had so many feathers, and the giant mice made her feel sick. Grass didn't taste so good either. At least she got lunch at school. Yes! Kotone should feel blessed for that. Mama and papa couldn't take away school lunch… or could they? Kotone didn't want to find out. She absolutely _had_ to pass the test. And with Devon getting so many pretty red numbers—no wait, red was bad, wasn't it?— she feared she wouldn't get the passing grade. Perhaps she'd ask Sensei about what she could do to pass. Other teachers were always so nice and gave her good grades. Surely he'd understand too, right? Of course he would!

Tempest Maelstrom looked from one player to another in annoyance. She was Team Allstars, had picked out the name herself, even. So why were they not the star players? Why were the Beaters winning? 'Cheaters,' not 'Beaters,' that's what they should be called. The Beaters contained the smart kids of the class. Shizuka Adachi, Johanna Nishimura, Dana Smith, to name a few. Dana had the top grade of all the second years, and while Johanna had a little trouble in a classroom setting, she was excelling at this game activity. Naturally the low-end students, like Tyrone Peterson and David Stanton, had squabbled amongst themselves over who would be on that team, but the teams could only have nine people each, and few lucked out.

In the end, Team Beaters won, naturally including the score girl Destiny Jackson. Shizuka Adachi, David Stanton, David Seville, Tyrone Peterson, Johanna Nishimura, Dana Smith, Hana Stayback, Momo Kaji, and Kori Kownacki walked out with 20 extra points on their upcoming midterm when the bell rang. There was a certain Kotone Koizumi who was short of having a panic attack back in her proper seat at the back of the room. Oh no, she'd lost the game… what to do what to do! After school, for sure, she'd talk to Sensei.

At the beginning of second period, however, the schedule got switched up. Ten minutes into the jeopardy game, a first year entered the room without a knock or hello. Snow-white hair and crimson eyes, Kashii recognized him as Nao Aburame, the son of the headmistress. The class fell silent, all eyes watching the boy as he crossed the front of the room to stop in front of Kashii. The child was small, and there was nothing scary about him, but everyone in the school knew, they _knew_, that if Nao Aburame was crossed, they'd be lucky to escape unscathed. The boy had no fear. No emotion at _all_. He did what he was told, regardless of consequences, even if he had to kill himself to get it done. Word from Nao was word from the Headmistress herself. So Kashii felt a little nervous when the child came to a stop in front of him.

"Headmistress Hotaru wishes to speak with you, Kashii Namame."

"... Ah, yeah. Okay. John, c'mere!"

The boy named John jumped up from his seat. He was just short of a teacher's pet. Namame-sensei didn't appear to even _like_ John, but it mattered not. He was the most reliable student in class, and therefore a good choice to take over the game while Kashii was out.

"Read off these cards; they're marked. You'll get the winning points." He raised his voice, addressing the class on a whole. "Listen to John. If any misbehavior occurs while I'm out, I promise points will be deducted from _everyone's_ tests, not added."

There was an overall silence from the room. Namame _never _made promises, because he always chose to keep them. Promises that couldn't be kept weren't made. John took the flashcards from Kashii, looking through the questions that were on them, amused at some of the random choice ones. Leaning against the edge of Kashii's desk, he gave a slight wave.

"I've got it handled."

"Good." Kashii turned back to Nao, who had been waiting patiently. "Let's… go see the Headmistress then, yeah?"

A nod, and Nao silently led the teacher from the room.

"The skeletal structure of most animals is similar to a human's." Kagerou pulled up an overhead image on the projector, showing the arm bones of a human, whale, bat, lizard, and dog. He pointed to each with a dry erase pen as he explained. "While the shapes are different, all of these have the same bones. Humerus to connect the limb to the shoulder, radius and ulna to turn it. Carpals at the wrist, phalanges for the digits. Each animal has developed their own use for their… ah?"

Rou paused in his lesson when a white-haired boy came in the room, keys to the locked door disappearing into the jacket pocket of his crisp uniform. The buzz in the room quieted at the sight of the intruder. Puffs hopped down from the front tabletop, coming to investigate this newcomer. Even when she stood on her back legs, paw on his thigh, to reach for the key that dangled from the pocket, she may as well have not existed at all for as much reaction Nao gave her.

"Headmistress Hotaru would like to speak to you, Kagerou Aburame."

Thank god his shades hid his expression, but they couldn't hide the paleness in his face. Had his cousin found out? Hopefully not. Even if they were family, she would treat him as well as she would a complete stranger. There were so very few instances that the family connection would mean anything.

"Ah… your homework sheets are up front here," Rou said to the class, tapping the table near a stack of papers. He clicked off the projector. "Work on them until I return."

Puffs returned to her master's side when he came out from behind his table, slipping out the door with him. Everyone knew who Puffs was. Some had even had personal negative experiences when she'd been left alone in the room without Rou for more than fifteen minutes. If the crying at the doors didn't get to you, squatting and peeing in front of them did. The only remedy was to coddle her until Rou returned, and even so, she was noisy, calling for her daddy.

"Well, if it isn't Chibi-kun."

Kashii bristled. From the moment he'd met this Aburame, he'd been rubbed the wrong way. Not that there was anything wrong with him personally, just _something_ about him…

"Didn't expect to meet the_ real_ Slim Shady."

The two glared at each other, reloading with more insults to throw at each other, before Nao wedged himself in-between the older males without expression, staring blankly ahead.

"Shall I end the argument for you, or will you come?"

There was a pregnant silence between the three, and both Rou and Kashii withdrew, standing side-by-side and awaiting Nao to lead the way. The child was ten years younger than both of them, a first year to boot, yet held such a disgustingly high amount of authority over them. About halfway to the Headmistress's office, their way was blocked by a custodian, sloshing his mop across the floor, muttering incessantly to himself.

"If only they _knew_," he rambled, "how _hard_ times used to be. Flippant children and their devices and carefree…"

"Shimei Kennou. You were washing this hall when I passed twenty minutes ago. Report to your other duties."

Scarlet red eyes raised to meet Nao's crimson, shaggy sky-blue hair distorting half of his face. Shimei did not like being addressed. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy speaking to people, oh no. It was that they didn't enjoy speaking to _him_. Once, he was a war hero. Once. But when he'd become a Prisoner of War… things changed. His entire _life_ changed. Who was he now? Who knew. Everyone _except_ Shimei knew who he, himself, was. His instability made him incapable of finding other jobs, but Headmistress Hotaru must have seen something in him, for she allowed him to work as a custodian at her school.

Kashii blinked, slowly recognizing the features of the hollow man in a green jumpsuit. He had no love for the Army, no, but Shimei Kennou had been one of the best young soldiers the United States Armed Forces had ever seen. His name was known. His _face_ was known. This man before him seemed to want to do everything in his power to hide his face, though. On one side of his face hung jaw-length hair, the other side obscured by a kerchief tied as a headband across his brow. He hunched against the mop, as if embarrassed to be pointed out specifically. Was this _truly_ the man Kashii had heard stories of?

He'd heard tell of that war hero losing his mind when he'd been captured by the enemy. What had become of him was varied between the tellers of the stories, but as he watched the man move around with the mop, wiping up the remnants of the water he'd poured on the floor, he realized this _had _to be that same person. He would be close to 35 now. Shimei seemed to fit that bill, and had the physical features to match. Perhaps it would be worth finding him on an off-day and having a chat.

Finally the trio were allowed to pass once the "Wet Floor" sign had been placed, Shimei continually muttering incessantly. One of these days, one of these days…. The pair of teachers looked up at the office door disdainfully when they reached it. It wasn't the main office that was the issue, but instead the door that led to the Headmistress's room deeper within. Were they in trouble? Who knew. But once they were welcomed into Hotaru's office, the displeased expression she wore confirmed it. Nao went to stand by his mother's side.

"I have brought Kagerou Aburame and Kashii Namame to you, my Mistress."

Hotaru patted the boy's head.

"When I said to call them by name, I didn't mean their full name. Run along to class now, Nao."

"Of course, Mistress. Forgive me."

Without another word, the small boy disappeared out the office door off to his class. The two remaining males looked at the woman across the desk who was eyeing them with obvious displeasure.

"Take off those glasses, Kagerou. You_ know_ how I feel about that."

"Ah… yes, sorry. I forgot."

The Aburame male slipped the shades from his face, hooking them into the breast pocket of his white coat. Well, now that was a _little_ better. Hotaru didn't like when she couldn't read others' expressions. It was bad enough she was cooped up with these males in her office. Not seeing their thoughts would make it that much worse. She leaned forward on her desk with her elbows, resting her chin on her fingers. When she tilted her head, long, black hair fell like a curtain, blood-red eyes scrutinizing them.

Puffs looked from her daddy to Kashii, to the tall desk with the vaguely familiar scent sitting at it. She sniffed around the bluenette's legs, just short of snorting the scent, fur on her spine raising. This was cat. This was _different_ cat. This was cat smell. This was cat smell that did not belong to her. What was the _meaning_ of this _atrocity_!? When she tried to correct this by rubbing against Kashii's leg, she let a startled mew out when she found herself kicked underneath Hotaru's desk, colliding with the woman's leg.

Angry about this fact, Puffs mewled louder, hauling herself up the black pants leg and into the woman's lap in an attempt to voice her complaints to everyone in the room. However, the cat found herself dangling in the air by the scruff the moment all four, small white paws had made a landing into Hotaru's lap. Hotaru glowered at the wretched beast, who immediately tucked tail and curled up within her grip, ears flat. Without a word, Hotaru flung the small beast onto her master, Rou fumbling to catch the flying claws. Kashii tried not to snort, he really did.

"Why do you even _have _your cat at school?"

"That's because—"

"That would be none of your concern, Namame-kun. He keeps the cat because I allow it."

Puffs curled up into Rou's lap, his large hand on her head for minor comfort. What did she do wrong? She let out a hiss between her teeth when the _unruly_ woman spoke again, completely indifferent to the feline's presence.

"I've heard rumors about the two of you having relations with students." Hotaru pointed to Rou. "It has come to my attention that you've been with Yami Kousei." She pointed to Kashii this time. "And I've heard many things about you, Kashii Namame." Her words echoed the first day of school. "Shizuka Adachi, Dana Smith, Amaya Hozuki—"

"Amaya is a teacher," Kashii interjected.

"—And Johanna Nishimura as well."

The boys looked between each other. Clearly there was an issue, but this woman was misunderstanding something. Well, on some counts, anyway. Hotaru looked pointedly at her cousin first.

"Kagerou?"

"Where did you hear this? You've known me since we were children."

Hotaru's gaze narrowed. He just skirted around a direct answer, didn't he?

"Yes, and I also know you're rather easily manipulated. Tell me, is she the one starting trouble with you? Surely it wouldn't be the other way around."

"Of course not. Yami drops by after classes at times for help. She's never trouble."

Lie or truth? Kagerou wasn't the most adept of liars, meaning there was truth to what he was saying. Still…

"Settle the issue or I'll have to investigate more thoroughly. You may leave. I expect to hear nothing more of this once Midterms are finished."

"Of… course, Headmistress."

Kashii watched the ginger leave, and turned his eyes back to the woman across the desk when the door closed. Her expression seemed a little darker, that did not bode well for him.

"About—"

"Silence, Namame-kun. I do recall telling you before, not to do anything to damage my school's reputation?"

"Well, it was actually more of a questi—"

"Do you _know_ the kinds of things I've heard about you?"

"..."

Kashii didn't want to answer that question. He did not know who Hotaru had been talking to, but hopefully not anyone connected to his past. Except… Allanah. But Allanah wouldn't know about _that_, would she…? There was also Dave… Dave wouldn't rat him out, would he? Amused by his obvious discomfort, Hotaru smiled.

"Answer truthfully, and no one _else_ will know."

"Yes, ma'am."

Hotaru took out a notepad, pulling a pen from her desk drawer, preparing to write. There might _possibly_ be useful information from this boy, but she highly doubted it. Narume was keeping him in the dark, who knows why, but there had to be a reason. Still, threatening him with something that made him uncomfortable was pleasant. Truthfully, Hotaru _didn't_ know a lot, Narume didn't reveal a lot of details. But she knew _enough_, and she'd learn the other details soon enough. Why people did a doubletake when they heard his name.

"As far as I know, the cases with Dana and Johanna were necessary interference, but need not be done by _you_."

Kashii nodded in agreement, although he felt otherwise. His students were _his_, therefore it was up to him to help them with their problems. It worked out, didn't it? He certainly wasn't sorry about it. To be frank, he didn't especially care about the affairs of the students. But those two girls had chosen to confide in him their problems, and it would have felt _wrong _not to do _something_ for them.

"Right. Permission to speak freely?" Hotaru tilted her head, then gave a nod in approval. "Dana and Nishimura _came_ to me for help. I provided it. Amaya is a _teacher_ and shouldn't be on that list to begin with."

"Her name was listed with your personal safety in mind. And Shizuka?"

Yes, what _was_ it about Adachi… she'd _never_ come to him for help. In fact, it seemed she'd be happier if he stopped trying. Frankly it wasn't worth wasting the effort trying to _fix_ her problems, but he _didn't_ want to give up on her. She was like a puppy. One who'd grown up mistreated and distrustful of humans. Puppies could be fixed given enough attention and care. Surely the girl could be, too.

"Adachi is… a puppy."

"A… puppy. Care to explain?"

"A puppy that's been kicked one too many times. A piece of meat dangled in front of its nose with no hope of _ever_ getting to have it. A puppy that eventually begins to bite the hand that feeds it, assuming it even _got_ fed, for fear of being hit instead. There is no trust towards _anyone_ from that kind of mutt. That's what I see in Adachi. I'm just throwing her the bone she was never even _offered_, since no one _else _seems to want to."

Hotaru tapped the end of her pen against the notepad. A puppy, hmm? The man seemed to have taken personal interest in the girl, more like. She wrote that information down. Who knew if that information would be useful to Narume, but if the girl became synonymous to a pet, that could spell trouble. Shizuka would become a liability if that were the case. Going by what the teacher said, he wasn't necessarily stepping out of line. Going by what she knew about him, however, a watchful eye would need to be placed on him. Men were disgusting, unpredictable creatures, after all. A gentleman is nothing more than a patient wolf.

"Ensure she _stays_ a student, Namame-kun. It is not your place to coddle her."

Kashii bowed his head. The headmistress clearly didn't know the things he was learning about this child. But it was _also_ not his place to tell her. It was Adachi's business.

"I understand."

"However," she continued, "There is nothing wrong with providing after school assistance. Do as you see fit, but _do_ remember what I've told you. Leave."

Kashii sat quietly for a long moment, examining the Headmistress's face. What, exactly, was he supposed to take away from this conversation? Was she giving him permission to continue helping the girl? He was merely supplying her with some help; not because he felt compelled to help the needy, but because she so obviously _needed_ something he did not need to go out of his way to give her. Adachi would say otherwise, but she was still coming to him for assistance, just like Dana and Nishimura had. There were no lines he had any _intention _of crossing.

Having outstayed his welcome, Kashii rose with a "Thank you" and left. A glance at the clock in the main office told him that second period was just shy of ending. It was a long walk down the halls, and he slowed when he finally reached the classroom. The chaos in the room was as expected. As it had taken so long, the students seemed to have come to the conclusion that he wasn't coming back. Folding his arms, Kashii rested against the windowpane that lined the west wall of the classroom, waiting to see if he would be noticed witnessing this spectacular display of 20 deducted points.

It had been John who noticed first, standing at the front of the room looking out. Eyes wide and jaw agape, many students turned to see just _what_ the boy was looking at. There was a chorus of cursing when they spotted their teacher with a lazy smile, gazing at them all. Well shit. Happy that he was finally noticed, Kashii walked into the room, clearly amused as hell.

"Everyone knows I don't make promises I can't keep."

"I've brought him."

"Very good, Nao. You may go to lunch."

With a nod, the boy vanished, leaving a tall man behind in the Headmistress's office. Despite the desire to grimace, she smiled. Must be pleasant to those you wish to win over. This man was fearsome, at least, in the regard she wanted him for. His odd-colored eyes gazed at her sharply, awaiting to hear her current proposition.

"Any news, Jukai?"

"Nothing major as of yet, _Headmistress_."

That word always felt sour on his tongue, but it was a formality that needed met within the school premises. Pulling a folded envelope from the pocket of his sweatpants, Jukai placed it on Hotaru's desk, pushing it forward. In exchange, she provided her _own_ envelope of information. Unwrinkling and pulling the letter from the flap, Hotaru smiled at the information.

"Remember what I told you at your club? Continue to do me good, and you will be rewarded in kind. How _is_ that boy of yours doing? Tora?"

Jukai shifted his weight and frowned slightly. The boy's safety was the single thing that kept him coming back to this woman. This woman whose tone frequently made his skin crawl.

"If you're concerned he might know anything, you'd be wasting your time. He knows little and he's quite an obedient student."

"He's waiting outside for you, isn't he?"

"Indeed."

"Wouldn't want to keep him waiting, would we?"

"I'd like to get back to my break, yes."

Making a shooing motion with her hand, Hotaru sent Jukai away. The man had _invaluable_ skills. The information network he possessed was unparalleled, even by her own network. Convincing him to become an ally would be a long process, but at least he was compliant. That was, of course, assuming she kept a tight lip concerning his love affair with the younger boy. His usefulness to her personal pursuits was the _only_ thing that kept him in the safe zone, and that man_ knew _it. Speaking personally with Tora had revealed the student was head over heels for the teacher as well, and she could overlook consensuality.

Tora kicked his heel against the molding on the wall, waiting for Jukai's return from the office. There were always secrets. Tora didn't _need _to be babied. Well, maybe. There were those times people picked fights with him. But the boy didn't_ like_ to fight. Why couldn't anyone understand that? Tora left everyone alone, minded his own business. Juu-chan was so nice to him. And and… oh! That boy from class A. Heiki Tsukaima. He always showed the greenette how to do card tricks. Why couldn't everyone else be nice? He wasn't mean to anyone, why did they need to be mean to _him_?

While he acted rather airy at times, Tora wasn't stupid. He knew things were going on. Things Juu-chan wouldn't tell him. The way Juu-chan looked at him when the greenette asked about it. Tora trusted the older man, but… Oh, if only he knew _what_ was being hidden from him. Maybe he could help! Well, as long as it didn't involve any fighting, that is…

"Damnit," came the curse of a madwoman. Too many things at once. Amaya groaned to herself at the front of the class. Another one bit the dust. "Go do whatever the hell you want, brats. I'll be back."

She'd been demonstrating chemicals and mass of elements, but had way too many displays. Knocking one over—thank _god_ it wasn't something corrosive—had shattered the beaker on the tiled floor, and attempting to clean it had rewarded her with a slash in the palm. It was a good excuse to go bother Tsuujou in the Infirmary, either way. The man had spent a good part of his medical career as a surgeon at the nearby hospital, but had retired to a small clinic, working as a school doctor during weekdays. David could fix her up better than a normal school nurse, but who needed fixing was _him_. She grinned at the thought. The nurse's office had a lock on it.

Dave looked up from the computer screen when the door slid open, identifying the woman who came in, then lowering his brown eyes to the blood that dripped from her clasped hands onto her clean white coat. He sighed, rolling back in his chair to lazily get up. He beckoned her over to the sink, running the cold water.

"Don't drip on the floor. Stick your hands under the water."

Why this man became a doctor was beyond _anyone's_ imagination. His entire family had been doctors, and while he himself hadn't wanted to be, he'd gotten pushed into the career by his parents. Dave was an excellent doctor, granted he cared little about beauty and sometimes had left scars when he sewed people back together. What set him apart was his complete apathy. Outwardly, he appeared to care little to none. Coming in with an open, bleeding gash in your palm? You may as well have come with a papercut. It was impossible to know what was going on in that greying head of his.

"So cold, doctor~"

Dave hummed, watching Amaya clean the blood from her hands to identify the source: A gash in the right palm, about an inch or so across.

"Helps numb the pain."

"I wasn't referring to the water," she purred in response.

"Keep your hands in the sink."

Dave caught her hint, but brushed her off. The woman was half his age. Taking down some peroxide and bandages, Dave took her hand from the water, wrapping it in a towel. Having her press it into her palm to calm the bleeding, he dug through drawers. The inside of the palm was a tricky place; it required gauze and a wrap-around bandage. Likely a stabilizer as well, depending on how deep the gash was. He worked meticulously, cleaning and dressing the wound on her hand. It wasn't deep; no stitches needed at least. Amaya slowly flexed her hand when the bandage was done. Smelly herbal salve, folded gauze in her palm, and a crisp white bandage wrapped around her hand. Not bad, not bad.

"Nice job, Doc."

Giving little more than a nod, Dave moved about cleaning up the mess. He replaced the salve in a locked cabinet, twisting some of the jars so the labels showed. The man had a hobby of collecting herbs and grinding together into special salves that he occasionally used in treating wounds. They worked better than typical antibiotics. Although outwardly he didn't show much one way or another, it was his _actions_ that showed David enjoyed his job as a medical doctor.

"Hey," Amaya said, coming towards him instead of leaving like he expected her to. "How about I give a little thanks for the treatment. You take off your white coat, and I'll take off mine; what do you say?"

Dave looked at her skeptically, but decided to humor her. Slipping the coat off his shoulders, he folded it neatly over his desk. Turning back to the woman, Dave gestured with a little bow that it was her turn. Naturally, Amaya didn't mean literally just the coat. Dave had figured that out long before the black, lacy lingerie came into view.

"... The fact you come to work wearing that is astounding in itself."

"I wore it _just _for you."

And here was where Dave would like to call bullshit. He wouldn't doubt that kid put Amaya up to this stint. He'd been family friends with the Namame family since Tsuyaen, Kashii's mother, was still a Narume. Since the divorce ten years ago, his ex-wife had taken custody of the children. Kashii had been the same age as the older son of the two siblings, and the boy had tried taking Dave out on more than one occasion to meet some women to take his mind off the divorce. The fondness Dave held for the bluenette was the only reason he ever agreed to go, but… It wasn't that Dave didn't find women like Amaya attractive, it was that he was still in love with his ex-wife, Hannah.

"I think you should return to your class, Hozuki."

Amaya pouted, pulling away from the doctor. It wasn't the first time she'd tried stunts like this, but every time she got shot down. Doc was no fun. Probably why she liked to screw with him to begin with, trying to get _some_ reaction from the man.

"You need to loosen up, Doc."

"So I've been told."


End file.
